In the hotly contested Nagano gubernatorial election held in October 2000, uncommitted voters gave a smashing victory to Mr. Yasuo Tanaka, a popular writer who is vehemently opposed to dam construction. On Friday, in a politically and emotionally charged climax to the running dispute between the governor and pro-dam legislators, the prefectural assembly overwhelmingly passed a no-confidence motion against him.
The dispute has been exacerbated by bad blood between the maverick governor and the assembly's majority groups affiliated with the Liberal Democratic Party, the Democratic Party of Japan and New Komeito. These conservative factions are openly critical of what they see as Mr. Tanaka's unconventional ways of running the prefectural administration and his off-color publicity campaign. The motion, supported by 44 members of the 60-seat legislature, accused Mr. Tanaka of "causing confusion in local politics with his self-righteous and crude" methods of governing.
Mr. Tanaka, who had been elected on a platform of open government and environmental protection, is best known for his "no more dams" declaration -- a bombshell statement that has shocked not only the central government but also local governments throughout the nation. His environmentally friendly policy has prompted a national review of state-subsidized civil engineering projects, including dam construction.