Candidate backed by anti-base governor wins mayoral race in Okinawa

January 22, 2018

Nanjo, Okinawa Pref.- A candidate backed by Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga, a staunch opponent of the relocation of a key US military base within the southernmost Japan prefecture, won Sunday's mayoral election in the Okinawa city of Nanjo.

The Nanjo mayoral poll was the first of a series of elections in the prefecture this year, where close attention is likely to be paid to voter attitudes about the planned transfer of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station in the Okinawa city of Ginowan to the Henoko coastal district in the city of Nago, also Okinawa.

In Sunday's election, Chobin Zukeran, 59, who was supported by the Democratic Party, the Japanese Communist Party, the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party, all opposition parties in national politics, beat his sole contender, incumbent Nanjo Mayor Keishun Koja, 62, who was backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its coalition partner, Komeito, and Nippon Ishin no Kai.

Zukeran, a former lawmaker of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, secured his first four-year term as Nanjo mayor. Both Zukeran and Koja, who aimed to win a fourth term, ran as independents.

The election was a close battle, with Zukeran collecting 11,429 votes and Koja 11,364 votes. Voter turnout came to 66.92 pct, the lowest for any mayoral election in Nanjo.

Following Zukeran's victory, Onaga and other members of "All Okinawa," a group opposing the Futenma relocation to Henoko, aims to maintain the momentum toward the Feb. 4 mayoral election in Nago and an Okinawa gubernatorial election expected to be held in autumn this year.

The LDP-Komeito ruling coalition will work to fight back.

It was the first time that a candidate backed by Onaga has won a mayoral election in a city in the prefecture since he became Okinawa governor in December 2014.

While criticizing the incumbent mayor's way of managing the Nanjo municipal government, Zukeran attracted voter support by stressing the need to reform the city administration.

Koja was unable to catch up with Zukeran although the incumbent mayor promoted his achievements in the 12 years of his tenure and senior LDP officials visited the city to seek voter support for him. Jiji Press