Japan’s Fukui elects youngest governor after predecessor’s sexual harassment scandal
Takato Ishida, a 35-year-old independent candidate and former Foreign Ministry official, has been elected governor of Fukui Prefecture, becoming the youngest incumbent prefectural governor in Japan, Jiji Press reports.
Ishida secured victory in Sunday’s gubernatorial election following the resignation of his predecessor, who stepped down amid a sexual harassment scandal involving prefectural government employees.
In a closely contested race, Ishida defeated two rivals: Kenichi Yamada, 67, an independent and former mayor of Echizen City, and Yukie Kanemoto, 67, a representative of the Japanese Communist Party’s Fukui branch.
The election highlighted divisions within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). While members of the prefectural assembly threw their support behind Yaamada, Ishida gained backing from LDP members in the municipal assembly of Fukui City, the prefectural capital.
Final results showed Ishida winning with 134,620 votes, narrowly surpassing Yamada’s 130,290. Kanemoto finished with 15,735 votes.
Earlier, it was reported that Japan is gearing up for Lower House election following Sanae Takaichi’s dissolution move.