In an election that provided a boost to supporters of a long controversial U.S. base and a blow to the Okinawa governor, voters in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, returned the ruling coalition-backed mayor to office Sunday night.
Taketoyo Toguchi, 60, secured a second term over challenger Yohei Kishimoto, 49, winning the closely watched mayoral race by just over 5,000 votes out of the 34,134 cast. Voter turnout was 68.32%.
Toguchi was backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito and ran on promises to emphasize local economic and social welfare issues, including providing financial support for child-raising, as well as his governing record. He refused to publicly take sides on the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from a congested area in central Okinawa to Nago's Henoko coastal district beside Camp Schwab, adopting the same stance he did in his first campaign.