In this file photo dated march 1, 2019, Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki (center) talks to reporters following a meeting with Japan's then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to report the result of a local referendum at the prime minister's official residence after a vote on the relocation of a US base on the island. (KIMIMASA MAYAMA / POOL / AFP)
TOKYO – Voters in Japan's Okinawa re-elected Denny Tamaki as governor on Sunday, public broadcaster NHK and other media said, backing an independent candidate who wants a smaller US military footprint on the chain of islands.
The anticipated re-election of Tamaki, who was supported by a coalition of opposition parties, is a sign of pushback against Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's ruling party, which has been hit by scandal over members' ties to the Unification Church.
NHK and other Japanese media declared Tamaki the winner, citing exit polls.
Denny Tamaki's victory is likely to be seen as a setback for Kishida's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which has seen approval ratings slide over revelations about the long-running links between some lawmakers and the Unification Church, which critics call a cult
The son of a US Marine and a Japanese mother, Tamaki was first elected as governor four years ago when he campaigned against US military presence. This time, he focused more on the economy, after the pandemic battered Okinawa's tourism industry.
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He told cheering supporters that he would continue to work to bolster the social safety net for the poor, although he did not skirt the contentious issue of US military bases.
"I have not wavered one millimetre, nor will I, in my efforts to resolve the base issue and I will continue to share my thoughts with the people of the prefecture and seek a solution from the government," he said.
His victory is likely to be seen as a setback for Kishida's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which has seen approval ratings slide over revelations about the long-running links between some lawmakers and the Unification Church, which critics call a cult.
Kishida has apologized for his party's ties to the church and vowed to win back public trust by severing them. The backlash has also fanned public opposition to a planned state funeral for slain former premier Shinzo Abe, who delivered a speech at an event hosted by a church affiliate last year.
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Support for Kishida has tumbled to its lowest since he took office, hit by anger over his ruling party's ties to a controversial church and a state funeral for Abe, an opinion poll showed on Monday.
Government support fell to 41 percent, from 47 percent in a previous poll late in August, to hit its lowest since Kishida took office last October, identical to similar polls published last week, and down from 57 percent in early July, the poll showed.
The share of those who did not support Kishida rose to 47 percent from 39 percent, the poll by the Asahi Shimbun daily showed.
"The governor's re-election was expected, but the issues at stake were not only bases," said Hiroshi Shiratori, a professor of political science at Hosei University in Tokyo. He said Abe's funeral and the Unification Church scandal also played a role. "They also had an impact."
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Kishida's ruling (LDP) has pushed for increased defense spending and backed former local mayor Atsushi Sakima. Tamaki defeated Sakima in 2018, partly by calling for the large Futenma US air base to be moved outside the prefecture.
Okinawa saw some of the bloodiest fighting in World War II and has long resented the burden of hosting the majority of US troops in Japan on facilities that take up 5 percent of its land.