The governor of Okinawa prefecture, Denny Tamaki, lost the elections held this Sunday to try to renew his term. Tamaki was the incumbent candidate who opposed the transfer of a US military base to the region.
The winning candidate was supported by the prime minister's party, thus representing the continuity of the government project related to the presence of US military forces in Japan.
The vote was considered crucial for defining the future of the transfer of the US military base, a topic that has generated strong debate in Okinawa for years.
Okinawa hosts the majority of US military installations in Japan, and the question of foreign military presence has been a sensitive political issue for the island's inhabitants.
