OSAKA — Riding a wave of populist support and local voter discontent with party politics, Nagoya voters returned former Mayor Takashi Kawamura to office Sunday night and elected his ally Hideaki Omura as governor of Aichi Prefecture.

By defeating opponents backed by the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, Kawamura, 62, and Omura, 50, delivered yet another body blow to Prime Minister Naoto Kan, whose team is preparing for a string of local elections in April. A poor performance will put Kan under pressure to dissolve the Diet and hold a Lower House election.

"This is a victory for the politics of change, not for the politics of just voting for the major parties," Kawamura told supporters after winning Sunday night.