In a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the ruling coalition, Shiga voters chose as their next governor Taizo Mikazuki, the designated successor to Yukiko Kada, over a candidate heavily backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito.
The election was the first voter test of the ruling coalition's decision to reinterpret collective self-defense, as well as the Liberal Democratic Party's credibility after one of its Tokyo assembly members insulted a female politician.
Three candidates ran to replace Kada, who decided not to seek a third term.