Ex-lawmaker Shimoji announces candidacy for Okinawa gov.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:59 JST, July 14, 2022

Former House of Representatives member Mikio Shimoji has announced his candidacy for the Okinawa gubernatorial election, which will be held on Sept. 11.

In an online video declaring his bid, Shomoji said, “I will solve the problems of Okinawa and promise to deliver results,” citing issues regarding U.S. military bases and child poverty.

Incumbent Gov. Denny Tamaki, 62, and former Ginowan Mayor Atsushi Sakima, 57, have already announced their bids.

Shimoji, 60, was first elected in 1996 when he was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.

He served as minister for postal service privatization when he was a member of the Peoples New Party.

In total, he served six terms as a lower house member, most recently as a representative of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party).

He ran unsuccessfully in the 2014 Okinawa gubernatorial election.