TOKYO �� An opponent of the construction of a U.S. Marine base on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa won election as governor Sunday, beating a candidate backed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition.
Denny Tamaki, the son of a U.S. serviceman and a Japanese woman, claimed victory over Atsushi Sakima in the closely fought race, Kyoto reported, as vote counting continued. Tamaki opposes a government plan to build a new military facility, enabling the closing of the Futenma Marine base in the center of a densely populated city.
Many in Okinawa, which hosts about half of the 50,000 U.S. military personnel in Japan, want the base moved off the island, or even out of the country. Local residents have complained of crime, noise, pollution, and accidents associated with the U.S. bases, and protests have hampered construction at the new site for 20 years.
Japan, whose own military is restricted by a pacifist constitution, relies heavily on the U.S. for security in a region that includes China and North Korea. Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party sees the delay to the base project as a risk to the alliance.
The result deals Abe an early setback less then two weeks after he won a third straight three-year term as LDP leader. While Abe is a step closer to becoming the country's longest-ever serving prime minister, he must juggle trade tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump and an ambitious agenda to push through a number of economic reforms.
