LDP-Backed candidate wins Ibaraki election

August 28, 2017

MITO, IBARAKI PREF.- Kazuhiko Oigawa, an independent candidate backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, won Sunday's gubernatorial election in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo.

His victory, gained in the first major local poll since the cabinet shakeup early this month, bodes well for the LDP ahead of the House of Representatives by-elections on Oct. 22.

Oigawa, 53, a former executive of an information technology company, defeated incumbent Masaru Hashimoto, 71. He aimed for a seventh straight four-year term, which would be longest among the incumbent governors in Japan if won.

The other defeated candidate was nonprofit organization head Makomi Tsuruta, 52, backed by the Japanese Communist Party.

Voter turnout stood at 43.48 percent, up from 31.74 percent in the previous election.

In the Ibaraki race, the conservative camp was split between Oigawa and Hashimoto, who was backed by local groups of doctors and farmers. The main issues included Hashimoto's long rule and possible restart of Japan Atomic Power Co.'s Tokai No. 2 nuclear power plant.

Oigawa called for reforms of the prefectural administration after Hashimoto's 24-year rule and measures to strengthen the advertisement of local specialties and tourist spots by using the Internet media. Jiji Press