Nagasaki Gov. Hodo Nakamura won a second four-year term Sunday after defeating a Communist challenger in the gubernatorial election.
While the focus of the election was on the Isahaya Bay reclamation project, driven by the central government but opposed by local farmers, Nakamura, 63, an independent backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner New Komeito, did not specifically refer to the issue during campaigning, pushing his economic program instead.
The main opposition force, the Democratic Party of Japan, fielded a rival candidate in the previous election but supported Nakamura this time around.
The defeated candidate, Toshihiko Haraguchi, 52, secretary-general of the Japanese Communist Party's Nagasaki chapter, stressed the need to rely less on public works projects to revitalize the local economy, while placing emphasis on welfare.