Murai wins 4th term as Miyagi governor

October 23, 2017

SENDAI, MIYAGI PREF.- Yoshihiro Murai, 57, has won his fourth four-year term as governor of Miyagi Prefecture.

In Sunday's gubernatorial election in the northeastern prefecture, Murai beat his sole contender, Satoshi Tatara, a 59-year-old independent backed by the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party.

During his election campaign, incumbent Murai, supported by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, highlighted his achievements such as reconstruction of areas devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Meanwhile, Tatara pledged to hold a referendum on whether to approve the restart of Tohoku Electric Power Co.'s Onagawa nuclear power plant in Ishinomaki.

Murai garnered 825,460 votes and Tatara 184,776 votes.

Voter turnout came to 53.29 percent. Jiji Press