Miyazaki Gov. Shunji Kono was re-elected Sunday, beating a former Lower House member and another challenger.

Kono, 50, ran as an independent but with recommendations from major parties, including the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito and the Democratic Party of Japan.

He was challenged by former Lower House member Hidesaburo Kawamura, 65, who ran as an independent, and Japanese Communist Party candidate Koichi Hotta, a 66-year-old former high school teacher.

Voter turnout was 44.74 percent, up 3.92 percentage points from the previous election.

The one-term governor campaigned on a pledge to continue his existing policies, saying he would tackle the declining population in the largely farming region in Kyushu.