The governor of Niigata Prefecture easily defeated his anti-nuclear opponent in an election on Sunday, public broadcaster NHK said, a result that could embolden members of the ruling party who are pushing for the country's largely idled nuclear energy plants to be revived.
Hideyo Hanazumi, who was backed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), beat local businesswoman and longtime activist against nuclear energy, Naomi Katagiri by a large margin, NHK said, citing exit polls.
It did not give exact figures, but Hanazumi also claimed victory in a speech to supporters.