On Aug. 3, Genkai Town in Saga Prefecture re-elected incumbent mayor Hideo Kishimoto to a third term. In the first election since the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, Kishimoto defeated newcomer and former town assemblyman Toshio Nakayama in what was considered a referendum on whether or not to restart the nuclear reactors the town. Kishimoto has stated that he would approve reopening the reactors as long as they were considered safe by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, but during the race, he emphasized the track record of his previous two terms and made little mention of the reactors. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 8/3
