2010 Okinawa gubernatorial election

The 11th Okinawa gubernatorial election was held on November 28, 2010. The official campaign start began November 11.[1] The 2010 election garnered national attention mostly for the dispute between the central government and local communities in Okinawa over the planned relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from Ginowan to Henoko in Nago that had also contributed to the resignation of prime minister Yukio Hatoyama in June 2010.

2010 Okinawa gubernatorial election
November 28, 2010 (2010-11-28)
Turnout60.88%
 
Nominee Hirokazu Nakaima Yōichi Iha Tatsurō Kinjō
Party Independent (LDP, Kōmeitō, Your Party) Independent (SDP, JCP, OSMP) Happiness Realization Party
Popular vote 335,708 297,082 13,116
Percentage 51.97% 48.3% 2.04%
Governor before election

Hirokazu Nakaima
Independent

 Elected Governor

Hirokazu Nakaima
Independent

Incumbent governor Hirokazu Nakaima sought reelection as an independent with support of the prefectural LDP and Kōmeitō chapters. In the 2006 election he had narrowly defeated Keiko Itokazu who ran on an "anti-base" platform with support of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and smaller parties.[2] The DPJ took over the central government in 2009 and could not agree on a candidate for Okinawa governor in 2010:[3] it has to defend the central government's agreements with the United States on base relocation against local opposition that includes base opponents from the DPJ's prefectural chapter. The party officially announced its decision in October 2010, the DPJ had already failed to nominate a candidate in Okinawa for the national House of Councillors election in July 2010.[4][5]

While Nakaima favors moving the base to outside Okinawa he has repeatedly expressed his willingness to negotiate with the central government on the relocation plans.[6][7] His likely challenger, former Ginowan mayor Yōichi Iha is strictly opposed to relocating Futenma to a site within the prefecture[8] and proposes to move all USMC facilities to Guam.[9] His candidacy was supported by SDP's and JCP's prefectural chapters and the Okinawa Social Mass Party.[10] A third declared candidate was Tatsurō Kinjō for the Happiness Realization Party who supported the planned move to Henoko.[11]

The vote to elect a successor for Yōichi Iha as mayor of Ginowan was to be held on the same day.[12]


References
  1. Okinawa prefecture electoral commission: 沖縄県知事選挙日程 Archived 2011-02-13 at the Wayback Machine
  2. BBC News, November 19, 2006: Okinawans reject anti-US option
  3. Japan Times, October 27, 2010: DPJ not fielding own candidate in race for Okinawa governor
  4. Jiji Tsūshin, October 26, 2010: 沖縄知事選、自主投票へ＝普天間響き擁立断念－民主
  5. "Okinawa Times, October 28, 2010: ［民主党自主投票］政権政党の責任放棄だ". Archived from the original on November 2, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  6. The Japan Times, October 15, 2009: Nakaima OKs base move — with proviso
  7. Yomiuri Daily News, October 20, 2010: Okinawa gov. wants Futenma talks if reelected
  8. BBC News, October 4, 2010 Anger simmers over Okinawa base burden
  9. Mainichi Shimbun/Ryūkyū Shimpō, October 21, 2010: 県知事選：「普天間」手法に相違　立候補予定者政策対論
  10. 47 News/Ryūkyū Shimpō, October 11, 2010: 仲井真、伊波氏 決戦へ　知事選告示まで１ヵ月
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-10-30. Retrieved 2010-10-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. Jiji Press, November 1, 2010: 福島知事に佐藤氏＝１０月の地方選挙/１１月の地方選挙
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