Katsusada Hirose was re-elected as the governor of Oita Prefecture, and his fifth term in office starts as the eldest governor in Japan. The 76-year-old governor expressed his appreciation to the residents on the voting day. Hirose was supported by the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito and other organizations, being highly recognized with his achievements during the past four terms. While all of the eighteen municipalities in the prefecture suffer a decrease in population, he insisted on the importance of supporting child-rearing as well as a new policy to introduce AI and other latest technologies to accelerate the revitalization of the local industries. He also emphasized his own health is in excellent condition to continue working for the next four years. Voter turnout was 47.41%, dropping by over 10% from the previous election. Source: Mainichi Shimbun, 4/7/2019
Photo: Oita Prefecture
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