Aomori: A former mayor of the city of Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture, won Sunday’s gubernatorial election in the northeastern Japan prefecture, defeating his three rivals.

Soichiro Miyashita, 44, was elected Aomori governor for the first time. His three rivals were Akihiko Onodera, 47, former mayor of the city of Aomori, the capital of the prefecture, Naritoshi Yokogaki, 63, a former member of the Mutsu city assembly, and former corporate worker Kenshin Kusuda, 66.

All four candidates ran in the election as independents. Miyashita garnered 404,358 votes, trouncing Onodera, Yokogaki and Kusuda, who collected 174,155 votes, 10,516 votes and 4,769 votes, respectively. Voter turnout stood at 57.05 pct, up from 40.08 pct in the previous Aomori gubernatorial election in 2019.

The prefecture will see the first change of its governor in 20 years. Incumbent Governor Shingo Mimura, 67, is set to retire after serving for five four-year terms.

The country’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party had failed to pick a single candidate to support in the Aomori poll, resulting in some LDP members in the Aomori prefectural assembly backing Miyashita and others favoring Onodera.

The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, the coalition partner of the LDP, had also decided to allow their respective local members to vote for candidates of their own choice.

In his campaigning, Miyashita drew support from a wide spectrum of voters, vowing to create “a new era for Aomori” in a shift from Mimura’s policies. He pledged to take measures to shore up the local birthrate, such as free medical services for children and eliminating fees for nurseries.

Onodera was supported by some LDP lawmakers and prefectural assembly members, as well as by the outgoing governor, but was unable to overtake Miyashita.

JIJI Press