LDP-Backed Koja Wins Okinawa Governor Race, Backs Futenma Relocation

According to Nikkei Asia, Genta Koja, the candidate backed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party, won Sunday's Okinawa gubernatorial election and became the prefecture's first leader in 12 years to support the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. He defeated incumbent Denny Tamaki, who opposed moving the base from Ginowan to the Henoko coastal area in Nago, and his victory is expected to help Takaichi's government advance the contentious project. Koja, 42, said he would seek to reduce the burden of hosting U.S. bases and ask the government to clarify when the Futenma site will be returned to Ginowan after the relocation, which is expected as early as 2036. He will be the first Okinawa governor born after 1972, when the island was returned to Japan, and the first LDP-backed winner in the prefecture's quadrennial gubernatorial race since 2010. Exit polls showed 49.5% of voters prioritized the economy, while 20.9% focused on U.S. military base issues, and voter turnout was 61.57%, up 3.65 percentage points from 2022. LDP Secretary General Shunichi Suzuki said Koja's win would strengthen the government's political base and that the party would support the prefectural government under him.