Japanese PM-backed candidate wins Okinawa gubernatorial election

Genta Koja has emerged victorious in the gubernatorial election for Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture, potentially signaling the end of a decade-long opposition to increased U.S. military presence in the region. With a commanding 59 percent of the vote, Koja secured the position against incumbent Denny Tamaki, a figure who has long advocated for relocating a major U.S. military base out of Okinawa.

Koja, who is just 42 years old, will assume the role of the youngest governor in Okinawa's history since the prefecture was returned to Japan from U.S. control in 1972. Additionally, he will be the first governor born after this reversion. The election of Koja may have significant implications for ongoing legal battles against the relocation of U.S. Marines from the Futenma air base to a new site at Henoko on the main island of Okinawa.

According to Masaaki Gabe, a professor emeritus at the University of the Ryukyus, Koja's win could potentially ease military access to airports and ports within the prefecture.