Abe Wins 3rd Term as Nagano Governor

August 6, 2018

Nagano- Shuichi Abe was elected to a third four-year term as governor of Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, on Sunday, beating a first-time candidate.

Abe, a 57-year-old independent, was supported by the Liberal Democratic Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People, Komeito and the Social Democratic Party.

He collected 635,365 votes against 110,930 votes for Chuichi Kanai, a 68-year-old independent and former city assembly member of Ueda. Kanai was backed by the Japanese Communist Party.

Voter turnout stood at a record low of 43.28 pct.

Calling for continuity in prefectural government, Abe stressed his policy of giving weight to education, child care support, medical and nursing care services, public transportation and industrial revitalization, under a five-year comprehensive plan from fiscal 2018.

With additional support from economic and labor groups, Abe attracted votes from a broad spectrum of residents.

Kanai opposed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's bid to revise the constitution and appealed for a change of prefectural government, but fell short. Jiji Press