NAGASAKI ¨C Ken Hirata, a 58-year-old former vice governor of Nagasaki Prefecture, has won the gubernatorial election in the southwestern prefecture, defeating incumbent Gov. Kengo Oishi and another candidate.
Voter turnout in Sunday's election was 57.27%, up from 47.83% in the previous election in 2022.
Hirata won 287,134 votes, slightly more than the 280,346 votes garnered by Oishi, 43. The two independent candidates had a close battle as support from Liberal Democratic Party members was split between them.
Hirata also received recommendations from the Democratic Party for the People and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, as well as support from the Social Democratic Party.
In Yamaguchi Prefecture, Gov. Tsugumasa Muraoka, 53, won his fourth term in Sunday's election, defeating two challengers. Voter turnout was 56.29%, up from 34.91% in the previous election.
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