Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki will speak about the results of the prefectural assembly elections in Naha on Monday.
15:37 JST, June 17, 2024
NAHA – Parties opposed to Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki won a majority of seats in Okinawa Prefectural Assembly elections on Sunday, with 28 of the 48 seats going to parties including the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito.
It was the first time since 2008 that the LDP and Komeito won a majority in the prefectural assembly. Tamaki has had disagreements with the central government over security policies and is likely to face difficult times in the prefecture’s administration in the future.
“I’ll take [the results] serious. I will address them strongly because I believe the demands of the meeting will become stronger,” Tamaki said early Monday.
The prefectural assembly election was seen as an interim assessment of the governor’s second term. Of the groups opposing Tamaki in the assembly, the LDP saw all 20 of its backed candidates win seats. The LDP had eighteen seats before the elections.
Komeito held two seats before Sunday’s elections and saw all four candidates win. On the governor’s side, the Japanese Communist Party, which previously had seven seats, saw a significant drop to four. The LDP is ready to intensify its efforts to prepare for the gubernatorial elections in two years.
Backed by a majority of prefectural assembly members, Tamaki is locked in a legal battle with the central government over the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station to Nago’s coastal Henoko district, both in Okinawa Prefecture.
Tamaki reiterated to the press on Monday that his opposition to the base relocation “remains unwavering.”
Regarding the shift of defense capabilities to the Nansei Islands, a policy that the central government has promoted, Tamaki has also taken a cautious position on allowing the Self-Defense Forces to use airports and ports under prefectural control.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference Monday morning that “the permanent station [of the Futenma base] should absolutely be avoided. ”
“We are going to work on full returns [of the base] as quickly as possible” by steadily carrying out the relocation work, Hayashi said.
