Conservative figure Genta Furushe wins the Okinawa governor election and is supported by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi

A 42-year-old conservative politician won the Okinawa governor's election on Sunday. It's a victory for Japan's hawkish Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is seeking to accelerate military buildup to counter China.

Naha deputy mayor Genta Furuset defeated current governor Tamaki Dani, who has been reelected for two terms. Tamaki has criticized Takaichi Sanae's defense policies and opposed the construction of new U.S. military facilities in Okinawa. Kouche will become the youngest governor in Okinawa Prefecture's history when he takes office later this month. Okinawa Prefecture is located in southern Japan and consists of several subtropical islands.

Guchet won about 59% of about 718,000 votes cast, compared with about 38% for his opponent Tamaki, according to vote counts released early Monday. Tamaki's mother is Japanese and his father is a U.S. Marine who is supported by Japan's left-leaning political parties. He made revitalizing the economy a core platform of his campaign.

"I think the election results illustrate that many people choose to move Okinawa forward," Gushe said in a statement on Sunday.

Sanae Takaichi said on Monday that Koshe's victory "reflects the will of the people of Okinawa to pursue economic growth." She made no mention of security concerns.

"I will work closely with the new Okinawa governor to do everything I can to strengthen Okinawa's economy," she told reporters gathered there at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo.

Tamaki admitted defeat in a statement, saying: "I want to respect the will of the people. There are many things I want to achieve in my third term, but I intend to use this result as a source of strength."

Gushe's victory would deal a blow to Okinawa's peace movement, which has opposed the U.S. military presence on the island for years. Okinawa has a population of 1.5 million and accounts for only 0.6% of Japan's land area, but it accommodates 70% of the US bases in Japan. (The United States seized Okinawa from Japan after World War II and returned the island in 1972, but continues to maintain a base there.)

Many older generations who still remember the war reject central government plans to turn Okinawa into a bulwark against Chinese military aggression. They say the presence of more troops makes the island increasingly a target.

Takaichi, who took office last year, has pushed ahead with plans to further militarize Okinawa, including sending more troops to the region and expanding missile and electronic warfare capabilities.

Okinawa is Japan's southernmost prefecture and is strategically located due to its proximity to China and Taiwan. The U.S. military has stationed a large number of troops in Okinawa for a long time, with about 30,000 active-duty soldiers. The U.S. military's presence has been a source of tension on the island for decades as residents worry about pollution, noise and crime.

Gouchet was supported by the Liberal Democratic Party and other conservative parties in Gao City and expressed his willingness to cooperate with the Americans during the campaign. He said he would support a plan to move a busy air base used by the Marine Corps from southern Okinawa to a less populated coastal area in the north. Tamaki has been a vocal opponent of the plan for years, making it a signature issue of his campaign.

Gouchet also spoke in a firm tone about rising security threats in the region, including from China, and the need to modernize the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.