The ruling party won in Okinawa and changes the provincial stance on the U.S. base

Genta Koja won the election to renew the governorship of Okinawa and became the first candidate backed by the Liberal Democratic Party to prevail in that prefecture since 2010, according to ABC Color.

According to that outlet, his arrival in office will also mark a shift in the local administration’s position: he will be the first Okinawa leader in 12 years to support Takaichi’s government plan to move a United States military base within the same island territory.

Defeated Governor Tamaki acknowledged the result after an election with a turnout of 61.57% and told the press that it was “the decision made by the people of Okinawa,” according to the Japanese agency Kyodo, cited by ABC Color.

Kyodo exit polls indicated that 49.5% of voters prioritized the economy when voting, while 20.9% focused on issues related to U.S. military bases. During the campaign, Koja promised to double the region’s per capita income through a revival of the local economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism.

The project under discussion calls for relocating the Futenma base, located in the city of Ginowan, to the coastal area of Henoko, in an area farther from urban centers. ABC Color recalled that the plan was approved by the governments of Japan and the United States in 1996, but its implementation was delayed by resistance from the population and local leaders, who question its environmental impact and demand that that base and other military installations leave Okinawa.

According to ABC Color, in a nonbinding referendum held in 2019, 70% of voters in the archipelago rejected moving the base within the region itself.

Sources

• ABC Color

About this note. Written by El Notero with assistance from artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not do its own reporting on this event.