Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday that the victory by the ruling party-backed candidate in the weekend’s Okinawa gubernatorial election reflected a desire of voters to focus on economic issues.
Speaking to reporters at her office, Takaichi pledged to work with victorious candidate Genta Koja to stimulate the economy in the southern prefecture, an area with one of the lowest per capita incomes in Japan.
In the Okinawa gubernatorial election on Sunday, Koja defeated incumbent Denny Tamaki, who opposes a decades-old and controversial plan to relocate a U.S. base within the prefecture.
The win by Koja, a 42-year-old former deputy mayor of prefectural capital Naha who backs the relocation plan, could provide a tailwind for Takaichi’s government as it moves ahead with the contentious project.
“I believe it was an election that reflected the will of the people of Okinawa who are seeking economic growth,” Takaichi said of the result, while vowing to do her “utmost” to strengthen Okinawa’s economy with the new governor.
Outside of economic issues, Takaichi said she will “address them while listening carefully to the views of the new governor as well.”
