Pro-government candidate wins Okinawa gubernatorial election, shifting stance on US military bases

Genta Koja, a candidate backed by Japan's ruling party, secured a landslide victory in the Okinawa gubernatorial election, receiving 423,124 votes. He defeated the incumbent, Denny Tamaki, a long-time opponent of the US military presence in the prefecture. This result marks a significant shift in Okinawa's stance toward the relocation of the US Marine Corps' Futenma air base. Unlike his predecessor, the 42-year-old Koja accepts the central government's plan to move the base to a less populated area within the main island. Okinawa hosts the majority of the 54,000 US military personnel stationed in Japan. Over the years, incidents including sexual assault cases, pollution, noise complaints, and helicopter crashes have fueled local resentment and triggered widespread protests. The relocation plan was originally agreed upon in 1996 following the rape of a 12-year-old schoolgirl by US servicemen, which sparked massive anti-US military demonstrations. However, the implementation of the plan has been stalled for years due to opposition from successive prefectural governors.