Okinawa election win may give Tokyo an edge

A candidate backed by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government won Okinawa's gubernatorial election on Sunday, ousting an opponent of Tokyo's military build-up across the strategically important island chain near Taiwan and China.



Genta Koja, 42, defeated two-term incumbent Denny Tamaki, 66, with 59% of the vote in a result announced early Today.



His victory, after a campaign dominated by concerns over rising prices, ends 12 years of rule by governors frequently at odds with the central government.

Tamaki's defeat could weaken local efforts to halt the relocation of some U.S. Marines from the busy Futenma air base to a more remote facility at Henoko, on Okinawa's main island.



Opponents want the troops moved out of the prefecture instead.



Japan's government said on Monday it would press ahead with the relocation.



Koja's victory may also make it easier to expand military access to airports and ports, according to Masaaki Gabe, a professor emeritus at the University of the Ryukyus.