Miyazaki elected Wakayama governor for first time
Former Deputy Wakayama Gov. Izumi Miyazaki won Sunday's gubernatorial election in the prefecture, defeating his rival, Michiko Matsuzaka.
Miyazaki, 66, was elected Wakayama governor for the first time, succeeding Shuhei Kishimoto, who died in April at the age of 68.
Running as an independent candidate, Miyazaki was backed by the Liberal Democratic Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People and Komeito. He garnered 250,454 votes, trouncing Matsuzaka, a 68-year-old candidate of the Japanese Communist Party, who collected 47,215 votes.
Voter turnout stood at 39.86%, the same as in the previous Wakayama gubernatorial election in 2022.
Miyazaki received endorsements from various organizations as well as ruling and opposition parties. During his campaigning, he pledged to uphold the prefectural administration promoted by the late former governor. He also touted his administrative experience as a former prefectural government official and appealed for the expansion of child care support measures and disaster prevention and mitigation measures, garnering broad support.
Matsuzaka had advocated a prefectural government that would help people's lives by raising the minimum wage and reducing consumption tax, but failed to attract enough votes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
3 hours ago
- Japan Today
Ishiba to visit Netherlands from Tuesday for NATO summit
Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, right, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, shake hands at the end of a joint press briefing, at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on April 9. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will be in the Netherlands for three days from Tuesday to attend a NATO summit, the government said Friday, as Japan aims to deepen its partnership with the military alliance. It will be the fourth straight year that a sitting Japanese prime minister has participated in a NATO summit. Japan is not a NATO member but is one of the alliance's Indo-Pacific partners. Ishiba also plans to hold bilateral talks with leaders of NATO members and those of its partners while in the Hague for the summit, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said. U.S. President Donald Trump is among the expected attendees at the two-day summit from Tuesday. "Given the severe security environment we face, and based on the shared view that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and that of the Indo-Pacific are inseparable, Japan, along with other partners from the region, will discuss how we can cooperate with NATO in concrete terms," Hayashi said. At a meeting in Tokyo in April, Ishiba and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte underlined the need to strengthen the Japan-NATO partnership amid security threats from Russia and China and agreed to push for defense industry cooperation. © KYODO
NHK
5 hours ago
- NHK
Middle East tensions force Japan into tariff-talk rethink
Tensions in the Middle East are forcing Japan to rethink its strategy in tariff talks with the United States. Government sources point to concerns about the Trump administration being too busy with the conflict between Israel and Iran. Officials in Tokyo are looking at when the next round of tariff negotiations should be. They are also assessing the recent summit between Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and US President Donald Trump in Canada. Japan's chief tariff negotiator Akazawa Ryosei admitted to feeling a great deal of uncertainty about future negotiations. The two sides still need to narrow their differences on tariffs for automobiles and other items. Ishiba is scheduled to visit the Netherlands next week for a summit with NATO. Sources say he is not planning to meet Trump on the sidelines.
NHK
7 hours ago
- NHK
Japan's Emperor, Empress wrap up trip to Hiroshima
Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have wrapped up a visit to Hiroshima. They met with survivors of the atomic bomb and paid their respects to people who died in World War Two. The Imperial couple's visit took place on Thursday and Friday. It was their first time in Hiroshima since the Emperor ascended the throne in 2019. On Friday they visited a nursing home for atomic bomb survivors, also known as hibakusha. The facility houses 94 people aged between 81 and 103. The Emperor and Empress asked some of them about where they lived at the time of the blast and their time at the nursing home. They also wished the hibakusha good health. This year marks 80 years since the end of World War Two. The Emperor and Empress believe it is important to pass on people's memories of the war to younger generations. On Thursday the Imperial couple paid their respects to the war dead at Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park. They also talked with people who have been trained to convey the stories of the hibakusha, who are advancing in age.
