Candidate Backed By LDP-Komeito Wins Mayoral Race In Okinawa Capital

Former Naha Vice Mayor Satoru Chinen backed by the ruling LDP-Komeito coalition defeated his only opponent supported by the All Okinawa camp in a mayoral race in the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture.

• Chinen garnered over 64,000 votes, beating his rival Takeharu Onaga by nearly 10,000 votes. Onaga was endorsed by the regional All Okinawa group, including Governor Denny Tamaki, as well as the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Japanese Communist Party, Reiwa Shinsengumi and the Social Democratic Party.
  
• Key for Chinen's victory was the endorsement from incumbent Mayor Mikiko Shiroma, who was elected as an All Okinawa candidate, but has reportedly grown disillusioned with the movement.
• The outcome is a rare victory for the ruling coalition, which is trying to stop a nationwide decline in support caused by a flurry of scandals, including the Liberal Democratic Party's controversial ties with the Unification Church.