Ruling coalition-backed rookie wins Yamanashi governor race

January 28, 2019

Kofu, Yamanashi Pref.--Rookie Kotaro Nagasaki supported by the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito won the gubernatorial election in Yamanashi Prefecture, central Japan, on Sunday.

The 50-year-old former lawmaker of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Japan's parliament, beat incumbent Hitoshi Goto, 61, who was backed by the major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People, and two other candidates.

Nagasaki garnered 198,047 votes, some 30,000 more than runner-up Goto.

Voter turnout stood at 57.93 pct, up 16.08 percentage points from the previous gubernatorial election in the prefecture.

The latest poll marked the first face-off between the ruling and opposition camps in 2019, an election year in Japan, where quadrennial unified local elections will be held in April followed by the triennial poll for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, in summer.

The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is apparently hoping that the victory in the Yamanashi race will serve as a spur for the ruling camp to win other key elections in the year.

During his election campaign, Nagasaki criticized that the prefectural administration led by incumbent governor Goto has been brought to a standstill, pointing to the fact that an increasing number of young people are leaving Yamanashi. He called for the implementation of policies to develop industries and improve the quality of education in the prefecture.

To support Nagasaki during the campaign period, the LDP sent many senior lawmakers to Yamanashi, including the party's secretary-general, Toshihiro Nikai, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

On the other hand, Goto attempted to attract votes by labeling the election as a battle between authority and people of Yanamashi, trying to highlight how Nagasaki drew full support from the LDP's headquarters.

Although he managed to win the backing of some LDP support groups such as the Yamanashi Medical Association, Goto failed to sufficiently draw other LDP-linked votes. Jiji Press