Hiroshima Gov. Hidehiko Yuzaki won a second four-year term Sunday, defeating a Communist challenger by a large margin.
Yuzaki, 48, ran as an independent with the backing of the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the Democratic Party of Japan.
His challenger was Osamu Onishi, 47, a senior member of the Japanese Communist Party's Hiroshima chapter.
Yuzaki pushed job creation and economic development, while Onishi criticized him for not opposing the consumption tax hike or Japan joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks.