Conservative Koje Genta Wins Okinawa Governor Race, Ending 12-Year Opposition Rule
AM730 · 2 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
Okinawa held its gubernatorial election on Sunday, September 13, 2026, resulting in a significant political shift. Former Naha Deputy Mayor Koje Genta, 42, won the race against incumbent Denny Tamaki, 66, who had served three consecutive terms. Koje's victory marks the first time in 12 years that a conservative candidate will govern the prefecture, ending the dominance of politicians opposed to the presence of US military bases in Okinawa. Exit polls showed Koje receiving over 50% of votes compared to Tamaki's approximately 40%.
Key Points
- Koje Genta defeated incumbent Denny Tamaki in the September 13 Okinawa gubernatorial election
- He is 42 years old and a former deputy mayor of Naha City, the first governor born after 1972
- Koje supports the US Futenma Air Base relocation plan from Ginowan City to Henoko in Nago City
- Exit polls showed Koje received over 50% while Tamaki received approximately 40%
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the LDP, Japan Innovation Party, Democratic Party for the People, and Komeito backed Koje
- Tamaki was supported by the All Okinawa Conference, which advocates relocating US bases out of the prefecture
- This marks the first win for an Okinawa base relocation-accepting candidate since the 2006 Japan-US consensus
- Koje promised to double Okinawan income, the lowest in Japan, and restore slashed revitalization budgets
Why It Matters
Koje's victory represents a major reversal for Japan's central government, which has struggled for over a decade to secure Okinawa's cooperation for the Futenma base relocation, a key bilateral security commitment with the United States . His election could streamline the decades-old relocation project to Henoko, potentially easing US-Japan diplomatic tensions over the base issue that has long complicated alliance management.
Koje's victory represents a major reversal for Japan's central government, which has struggled for over a decade to secure Okinawa's cooperation for the Futenma base relocation, a key bilateral security commitment with the United States . His election could streamline the decades-old relocation project to Henoko, potentially easing US-Japan diplomatic tensions over the base issue that has long complicated alliance management.