Incumbents were victorious in both gubernatorial elections held Sunday in Tokushima and Ibaraki prefectures, beating off challenges from one opponent each, according to early election results.
In Tokushima, incumbent Gov. Toshio Endo, 58, beat off a challenge from Tadashi Ota, a 58-year-old rookie.
Endo was backed by the tripartite ruling coalition -- the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party -- as well as the Liberal Party. His campaign focused on his actions as governor for two terms over eight years, such as promoting the construction of highways in the prefecture, and pledges to improve social infrastructure.