The long-running standoff between Okinawa Prefecture and Tokyo over construction of a replacement facility for a U.S. military base is set to continue in the wake of Sunday's gubernatorial election.
Former Lower House member Denny Tamaki, 58, a staunch opponent of building the replacement facility for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma at Henoko, in the northern part of the prefecture, defeated former Ginowan Mayor Atsushi Sakima, 54, who had the strong support of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito.
The final count showed Tamaki with 396,632 votes and Sakima with 316,458. The voter turnout rate was 63.24 percent — less than a percentage point down from the 2014 turnout rate.