Conservative independent Takeshi Onaga won Sunday's Naha mayoral election in Okinawa Prefecture, ending 32 years of uninterrupted leftist and reformist rule, final returns showed Monday.
Onaga, 50, a former secretary general of the prefectural chapter of the Liberal Democratic Party, ran as an independent and collected 73,578 votes. His opponent, Michiko Horikawa, 59, a former head of the prefectural capital's health and welfare department, received 66,362 votes.
"The city of Naha has been influenced by the international situation, but the citizens finally voted with their own voices," a visibly excited Onaga said.
He said he will cooperate closely with Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine, who also won a gubernatorial election backed by the LDP, beating his leftist predecessor Masahide Ota.