Voting began Sunday in the Okinawa gubernatorial election, with a controversial plan to relocate a key U. S. military base within the southern island prefec
NAHA, OKINAWA PREF. – Voting began Sunday in the Okinawa gubernatorial election, with a controversial plan to relocate a key U. S. military base within the southern island prefecture high on the agenda.
Atsushi Sakima, a 54-year-old former Ginowan mayor backed by the ruling parties, and former opposition lawmaker Denny Tamaki, 58, are the major contenders for the seat left vacant by Takeshi Onaga, who died of pancreatic cancer in early August and was a staunch opponent of the relocation plan.
The result of the race could have an impact on the course of the plan to move U. S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from a crowded residential area of Ginowan to the less populated coastal district of Henoko in Nago.
Sakima has received powerful support from the Liberal Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has been promoting the base transfer. The LDP’s junior coalition partner, Komeito, and the opposition Japan Innovation Party also are behind him.
Tamaki, a former radio personality who served as a House of Representatives member from the Liberal Party, has highlighted that he was designated by Onaga as his successor. He is backed by four other opposition parties and a parliamentary group.
Both candidates have emphasized the importance of the prompt closure of the Futenma base, which they say poses a danger to nearby residents, and the return of its site to Japan.
