Okinawa Elects Koja, First Governor to Back Marine Airfield Relocation

Genta Koja, a former deputy mayor of Naha, won a landslide victory in Okinawa's gubernatorial election on Sunday, defeating two-term incumbent Denny Tamaki with 59% of the vote. The result marks a significant political shift in the prefecture, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan, and could accelerate the long-stalled relocation of a key Marine Corps airfield. Koja, 42, who was backed by Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, received 423,124 votes, the most for any Okinawa gubernatorial candidate since 1972. He will take office on September 30 and become the first governor born after the prefecture reverted from U.S. to Japanese control in 1972. Tamaki, who made opposition to the U.S. military presence a defining issue of his administration, conceded defeat and did not rule out another run in four years. The victory ends 12 years of leadership in Okinawa opposed to the controversial plan to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from the densely populated city of Ginowan to a replacement facility under construction at Camp Schwab in Henoko.