Hirokazu Nakaima, a ruling coalition-backed former vice governor and chairman of a power utility, was elected Sunday governor of Okinawa in a campaign closely watched for its impact on the proposed realignment of U.S. military bases in Japan.
By electing Nakaima, 67, over his opposition-backed opponent Keiko Itokazu, Okinawa voters appear to have chosen promises of future economic prosperity over current concerns about the U.S. military bases in the prefecture.
During the hard-fought campaign, Nakaima, who had the support of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, played down the controversy over whether the U.S. Marines Futenma Air Station should be relocated within Okinawa Prefecture and played up his plans to achieve economic revitalization by turning the prefecture into a major center for information technology.