Local News

The election for governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture to replace the retiring incumbent drew national attention as an unofficial referendum on nuclear power. One candidate, Tetsunari Iida, is the head of an anti-nuclear power think tank and a former advisor to Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto. The Iida candidacy attracted a lot of media attention both in Japan and overseas, and he was endorsed by many show business celebrities. He was able only to attract 35% of the vote, however, and the winner was Yamamoto Shigetaro, endorsed by both the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, with roughly 48% of the vote in a four-man field. Yamamoto downplayed energy issues.