Incumbent and two challengers run for mayor of Okinawa’s Nago

NAGO, OKINAWA PREF. –

The incumbent mayor and two challengers filed their candidacies on Sunday for the Jan. 25 mayoral election in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, which will focus on the planned relocation of a U.S. military base to the city’s Henoko coastal area.

The election comes in the run-up to a House of Representatives election expected next month as well as an Okinawa gubernatorial election, as the current governor’s term ends in September.

The Nago election will effectively be a one-on-one battle between incumbent Taketoyo Toguchi, who is seeking a third term, and former city assembly member Kumiko Onaga.