NAHA—Bolstering the local economy was the main issue for voters in Okinawa Prefecture, according to exit polls, and they placed their trust in Genta Koja to improve their livelihoods.
Koja defeated incumbent Denny Tamaki, who failed to capitalize on growing voter concerns about the economy, in the Okinawa gubernatorial election on Sept. 13.
The Asahi Shimbun conducted exit polls at 60 voting stations in the prefecture and obtained 2,909 valid responses.
The results showed that 50 percent of voters felt that “boosting the economy” was most important issue when choosing a candidate.
Seventy-nine percent of them voted for Koja.
“The economy” was cited by 34 percent of voters in the 2018 Okinawa gubernatorial election and by 41 percent in the 2022 election.
According to the exit polls, the “military base issue” was the second-most important issue this year, chosen by 21 percent, followed by the candidate’s “personality and background” at 18 percent, and “which political parties or organizations support the candidate” at 6 percent.
Tamaki gained support from 73 percent of those who selected the military base issue, but that group itself has shrunk.
In the 2018 election, 46 percent of voters picked the “military base issue,” and 34 percent did so in 2022.
Exit polls over the years have also shown a decrease in voter opposition to the plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan to Nago’s Henoko district, also in Okinawa Prefecture.
In the latest election, which was conducted after the Supreme Court ruling in 2025 favored the central government’s relocation plan, 50 percent of voters supported the move, outpacing the 44 percent who opposed it.
Tamaki had gained support from 80 percent of opponents of the relocation plan in each of the two previous elections. However, the ratio declined to 63 percent this time.
More than half of voters in their 60s and younger voted for Koja, while Tamaki gained more than half of ballots cast by voters in their 70s and older.
AloJapan.com