In an election under intense scrutiny in both Tokyo and Washington, Okinawan voters head to the polls Sunday to choose a new governor.
The long-anticipated election is widely viewed as the final referendum on whether the political will exists in Okinawa to accept construction of a replacement facility for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within the prefecture.
The facility, currently located in the city of Ginowan, central Okinawa, has been the subject of long-standing protests over its planned relocation to the Henoko district of Nago farther north on the island.