Okinawa’s Gubernatorial Race Raises Specter of Old Ruling Bloc, with LDP in Need of Komeito’s Support

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, January 12, 2026

In Okinawa Prefecture, where a succession of key elections are to be held this year, it remains unclear how far the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito will go in joining forces. Cooperation between the two is indispensable if they hope to counter All Okinawa, a rival group formed by the Japanese Communist Party and others.

The LDP and Komeito, whose coalition was ended last year, are prepared to cooperate in the Nago mayoral election, with campaigning set to officially start on Jan. 18 and voting slated for Jan. 25.

However, arrangements for the make-or-break gubernatorial election this autumn are yet to be made.

“The election year has started. We must succeed by all means possible,” said Takayuki Kobayashi, chair of the LDP’s Policy Research Council, at a party meeting in Naha on Friday.

Nago’s mayoral race is to be the first key election of the year. The city is set to receive the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station, which will be relocated from Ginowan.

The race is expected to effectively be a one-on-one battle between Taketoyo Toguchi, 64, seeking a third term, and Kumiko Onaga, 69, a former city assembly member.

While Toguchi has not stated his position on relocating the U.S. base to Nago’s Henoko area, he has been endorsed by the LDP, which supports the relocation, and by the Okinawa branch of Komeito, which has more reservations about the plan. Onaga is backed by the All Okinawa forces, who support Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, 66.

End of term nears

Parties are also focused on the gubernatorial election in Okinawa Prefecture, with Tamaki’s term set to expire in September.

On Tuesday, the All Okinawa coalition plans to formally request that Tamaki, who has shown his interest in a third term, run for reelection, and it is making preparations to this end.

The LDP’s local branch wants to retake the prefecture after 12 years outside the governor’s office, and will team up with local business.

A committee of officials drawn mainly from the business community is expected to decide on a candidate as early as Sunday, with the party to support this candidate in the election.

Meanwhile, Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito on Friday said about the election, “We respect local opinion and want to carefully consider this as the party headquarters.” He spoke to reporters after attending a party meeting in Naha.

Okinawa Prefecture is said to be the first place where the LDP and Komeito teamed up for an election. Komeito, which had opposed the LDP, decided not to direct its members to vote for a specific candidate in the 1998 gubernatorial election. This provided indirect support to the LDP, leading to the victory of the LDP-endorsed candidate.

“While we will hold discussions for each election, we are unlikely to support Mr. Tamaki” in the gubernatorial race, a Komeito official said.