Okinawa Prefecture governor election: Genta Furusha defeated Tamaki Danny and was elected

(Central News Agency reporter Dai Yazhen, Tokyo, 13th) Votes for the governor election of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan were opened today. The 42-year-old independent newcomer Genta Furusha was confirmed to defeat five candidates including the current governor Danny Tamaki who was seeking re-election, and was elected for the first time.

Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that Gusha was recommended by the Liberal Democratic Party, the Japan Reform Association, the National Democratic Party, the participating political parties and the Japanese Conservative Party. With Gusha's victory, Okinawa will once again usher in a conservative government for the first time in 12 years.

Since 2014, candidates in Okinawa Prefecture who oppose the relocation of the US military Futenma Base from Ginowan City to Nago City, Henoko, have been elected governor. The Henoko issue has long been a major political disagreement in Okinawa politics.

Gouche has taken a tolerant stance on base relocation, and his victory also means a major turning point in Okinawa Prefectural Government.

However, Gouchet did not make the base issue his main appeal during the election campaign, but instead focused on economic and people's livelihood policies. He proposed doubling the income of Okinawa residents, who currently have the lowest income in Japan, and advocated reducing the burden of childcare and education fees, as well as strengthening childcare and talent cultivation policies such as English learning to win the support of voters.

Tamaki Dani, who was seeking a third term, emphasized the results of the past eight years of governance and received support from the Constitutional Democratic Party, the Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party and other forces, but ultimately failed to be re-elected.

Tamaki's defeat also severely damaged the political force "All Okinawa" that opposed the relocation of the Henoko base. Okinawa has dominated the Okinawa Prefecture governor election for a long time since 2014. Now that the conservative camp has regained the prefectural government, the future direction of Okinawa in terms of US military bases, central government relations and security policies has attracted much attention.

A total of six people competed in this Okinawa Prefecture governor election, setting a record for the most candidates in history. In addition to Koshe and Tamaki, there are also independent newcomers Kaneshima Shun, Sueyoshi Masahiro, Higa Taka, and political group newcomer Yoshitomo Suke.

The 42-year-old Genta Furusha was born in Okinawa Prefecture. He graduated from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Tokyo in 2006. He entered the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in 2008 and served as an assistant to the counselor at the Department of Reconstruction. In 2022, he became the deputy mayor of Naha City.