Elections

Incumbent Miyazaki Gov. Shunji Kono secures 4th term

Yomiuri Shimbun photos
Miyazaki Gov. Shunji Kono thanks his supporters following his reelection in Miyazaki Prefecture on Sunday, left, Former Miyazaki Gov. Hideo Higashikokubaru concedes the election in Miyazaki Prefecture on Sunday.

Jiji Press

10:50 JST, December 26, 2022

MIYAZAKI (Jiji Press) — Incumbent Miyazaki Governor Shunji Kono secured a fourth term in Sunday’s gubernatorial election in the southwestern Japan prefecture.

Kono, 58, defeated former Governor Hideo Higashikokubaru, 65, and another candidate.

Voter turnout came to 56.69 %, sharply up from the previous gubernatorial poll’s 33.9 %, which set a record low.

Kono was endorsed by Komeito, the coalition partner of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and supported by the Social Democratic Party.

He was also backed by the prefectural chapters of the LDP and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, as well as various local organizations.

During the election campaign, Kono highlighted his achievements while in office for a total of 12 years so far, such as measures against COVID-19 and reconstruction following a typhoon disaster.