Gubernatorial elections in Japan 2012

In 2012, gubernatorial elections were held in eight prefectures in Japan .

Note: Most candidates run as non-party in gubernatorial elections; therefore the party affiliations are not listed separately in the election results and only the recommendations and formal support given by the parties are listed. In the following, no distinction is made between support for national parties and prefectural associations.

March 25, 2012: Kumamoto

In Kumamoto Prefecture , Governor Ikuo Kabashima ran for a second term, his candidacy was supported by DP , LDP , Kōmeitō and SDP . The CPJ has nominated the chairman of its prefectural association, Keisuke Kuboyama, as an opposing candidate. The official election campaign started on March 8th. With a significantly lower voter turnout (2008: 49.4%), Kabashima clearly prevailed.

Result of the gubernatorial election in Kumamoto

candidate	Support parties					be right	proportion of
Ikuo Kabashima					DP , LDP , Kōmeitō , SDP	508.917	90.63%
Keisuke Kuboyama					KPJ	52,591	9.37%
total						561.508	100.00%
invalid votes etc.						5,285	0.93%
voter turnout						566,793	38.44%

July 8, 2012: Kagoshima

In the gubernatorial election in Kagoshima Prefecture on July 8, 2012, Yūichirō Itō applied for a third term. The official election campaign period began on June 21. The only opposing candidate was Yoshitaka Mukohara, chairman of the anti-nuclear force movement Han-gempatsu - Kagoshima Net . Previously, Governor Itō had rejected an ultimatum from the opponents of nuclear power with the demand to oppose the restart of the Sendai nuclear power plant , for which the central government needs the approval of the prefectures and communities concerned. The big parties DPJ, LDP as well as Kōmeitō and New People's Party supported Itō's re-election, the Communist Party of Japan and the green party Midori no Mirai, which is particularly active in prefecture and local politics, supported Mukohara's candidacy. The main topic of the election campaign was the national energy policy debate on the future of nuclear power.

With voter turnout of 43.85% up by almost five points compared to 2008, Governor Ito won with almost two thirds of the votes.

Result of the 18th gubernatorial election in Kagoshima

candidate	Support parties					be right	proportion of
Yūichirō Itō					DP , LDP , Kōmeitō , New People's Party	394.170	66.28%
Yoshitaka Mukohara					KPJ , Midori no Mirai	200,518	33.72%
total						594,688	100.00%
invalid votes etc.						4,812	0.80%
voter turnout						599,500	43.85%

July 29, 2012: Yamaguchi

Sekinari Nii , Governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture , announced long before the election that he would not run for a fifth term. For the successor, the former central government official Shigetaro Yamamoto with LDP-Kōmeitō support, the energy scientist Tetsunari Iida with Midori-no-Mirai support , the former democratic Shūgiin MP Tsutomu Takamura and the doctor and former prefectural official Shigeyuki Miwa applied for the successor . The national debate on nuclear power also played a central role in the Yamaguchi election. Although there are no nuclear power plants in the prefecture, the planned Kaminoseki nuclear power plant has been controversial for decades.

With voter turnout increasing by over eight points to 45.3 percent, Yamamoto prevailed with 47.6 percent of the vote.

Result of the Yamaguchi gubernatorial election

candidate	Support parties			be right	proportion of
Shigetaro Yamamoto			LDP , Kōmeitō	252,461	47.57%
Tetsunari Iida			Midori no Mirai	185,654	34.98%
Tsutomu Takamura			-	55,418	10.44%
Shigeyuki Miwa			-	37,150	7.00%
total				530,683	100.00%
invalid votes etc.				6,394	1.19%
voter turnout				537.077	45.32%

October 21, 2012: Niigata

In the gubernatorial election in Niigata (opening October 4, closing October 21), Governor Hirohiko Izumida applied for a third term as a non-communist all-party candidate (DP, LDP, Seikatsu, Kōmeitō, SDP). The only opposing candidates were the communist Shijio Hiwatashi and the long-term candidate Mac Akasaka from the Smile party. The turnout fell by 2.54 points compared to 2008.

Result of the gubernatorial election in Niigata

candidate	Support parties						be right	proportion of
Hirohiko Izumida						DP , LDP , Seikatsu , Kōmeitō , SDP	759.718	90.71%
Shijio Hiwatashi						KPJ	59,876	7.15%
Mac Akasaka (Makoto Tonami)						Smile-tō	17,884	2.14%
total							837.478	100.00%
invalid votes etc.							15,233	1.79%
voter turnout							852.711	43.95%

October 28, 2012

Two gubernatorial elections will take place on October 28: in the western Japanese prefectures of Toyama and Okayama . The official election campaign period begins on October 11, 2012.

Toyama

Toyama's Governor Takakazu Ishii ran for a third term. The only opposing candidate was the unionist Kanji Kometani. During the election campaign, Governor Ishii emphasized his efforts to consolidate the budget and improve the infrastructure - including for the Hokuriku Shinkansen - and was clearly confirmed in office.

Result of the Toyama gubernatorial election

candidate	Support parties						be right	proportion of
Takakazu Ishii						DP , LDP , Seikatsu , Kōmeitō , NVP	305.043	89.79%
Kanji Kometani						KPJ	34,676	10.21%
total							339.719	100.00%
invalid votes etc.							5,858	1.70%
voter turnout							345,577	38.66%

Okayama

In Okayama, Governor Masahiro Ishii did not run after four terms. Ryūta Ibaragi, former president of the prefecture-based department store chain Tenmaya, applied with LDP support. In addition, the former Democratic Prefectural Member of Parliament, Akiko Ichii, with CPJ support Kōichi Ōnishi, who has already been defeated several times in elections in the prefecture, including the 2003 mayoral election in the prefecture's capital Okayama, and the doctor Shun'ichirō Yamasaki, ran. Economic development and education were the main topics of the election campaign. With voter turnout down by over five points, Ibaragi prevailed.

Result of the gubernatorial election in Okayama

candidate	Support parties				be right	proportion of
Ryūta Ibaragi				LDP , Kōmeitō , Tachiagare Nippon	358,564	60.35%
Akiko Ichii				-	188.089	31.66%
Kōichi Ōnishi				KPJ	33,577	5.65%
Shun'ichirō Yamasaki				-	13,893	2.34%
total					594.123	100.00%
invalid votes etc.					8,647	1.43%
voter turnout					602.770	38.64%

November 18, 2012: Tochigi

In Tochigi Prefecture , Governor Tomikazu Fukuda's second term ends on December 8th. The election campaign began on November 1st. With the support of the LDP and Kōmeitō, Fukuda applied for another term. The only opposing candidate was Setsuko Nomura, a former member of the prefectural parliament and vice-chairman of the CPY prefectural association. With a low, but slightly increased (+1.36) voter turnout, Fukuda received over 80% of the votes.

Result of the 18th gubernatorial election in Tochigi

candidate	Support parties			be right	proportion of
Tomikazu Fukuda			LDP , Kōmeitō	462.299	86.57%
Setsuko Nomura			KPJ	71,700	13.43%
total				533.999	100.00%
invalid votes etc.				9,319	1.72%
voter turnout				543.318	33.64%

December 16, 2012: Tokyo

In the most populous prefecture of Tokyo , Governor Shintaro Ishihara resigned in October 2012 to switch to national politics. The early election of the governor took place on December 16, coinciding with the election to the lower house of the national parliament . In addition, by-elections to the prefectural parliament were held in three municipalities.

The official campaign period began on November 29th. Nine candidates applied for Ishihara's successor:

• Naoki Inose (66), previously lieutenant governor and, after Ishihara's resignation, acting governor until his own candidacy, he was supported by LDP , Kōmeitō and Nippon Ishin no Kai ,
• Kenji Utsunomiya (66), former chairman of the Japanese Bar Association ( Nihon Bengoshi Rengōkai ), with the support of Nippon Mirai no Tō , KPJ and SDP ,
• Shigefumi Matsuzawa (54), former governor of Kanagawa, who had already announced a candidacy in the 2011 gubernatorial election but later withdrew,
• Takashi Sasagawa (77), former LDP deputy and minister, for Tomin no Kurashi o mamoru Kai ( 都 民 の く ら し を 守 る 会 , something like "Assembly that protects the living conditions of the prefectural citizens"),
• Shigenobu Yoshida (76), former official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to Nepal,
• Tokuma [Suginomori] (46), musician, for the Kōfuku-jitsugen-tō ,
• Mac Akasaka (64), smile thriller and long-term candidate, for his smile party,
• Masaichi Igarashi (81) and
• "Dr. NakaMats “ (84), inventor and long-term candidate.

Former comedian and governor of Miyazaki, Hideo Higashikokubaru , who was defeated by Ishihara in the 2011 election, abandoned plans to run again and instead ran for Ishihara's party in the general election. The Democratic Party stopped searching for a candidate on November 20 and did not recommend voting. The permanent candidates Osamu Ogami, priest, for his Tōkyō Ishin no Kai (unrelated to the faction of the same name in the prefecture parliament) and Setsuo Yamaguchi, real estate appraiser, had withdrawn previously declared candidacies.

The expected election campaign topics included the future of the prefectural bank Shinginkō Tōkyō , Tokyo's Olympic bid and energy policy.

The turnout rose to 62.6%, the highest value since 1975. Inose clearly prevailed with more than two thirds of the valid votes. In absolute terms, Inose received over 4.3 million votes, more than any individual candidate in national elections has ever received before.

Result of the gubernatorial election in Tokyo

candidate	Support parties							be right	proportion of
Naoki Inose							LDP , Kōmeitō , Ishin	4,338,963	67.35%
Kenji Utsunomiya							Mirai , KPJ , SDP , Green Party , NSP , Seikatsusha Network	968.960	15.04%
Shigefumi Matsuzawa							-	621.278	9.64%
Takashi Sasagawa							Tomin no Kurashi o mamoru Kai	179.180	2.78%
Yoshirō Nakamatsu							-	129,406	2.01%
Shigenobu Yoshida							-	81,885	1.27%
Tokuma							Kofuku-jitsugen-tō	47,829	0.74%
Mac Akasaka (Makoto Tonami)							Smile-tō	38,855	0.60%
Masaichi Igarashi							-	36,114	0.56%
total								6,442,443	100.00%
invalid votes etc.								205,301	3.09%
voter turnout								6,647,744	62.60%

As in the 2011 election, members of the girl group AKB48 designed the election call of the Tokyo election commission under the motto kondo no tochiji, watashi ga erabu ( something like “I will choose the next governor”) .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 共産党 県 委員長 出馬 へ ＝ 熊 本 知事 選 . In: Jiji Tsūshin . January 9, 2012, Retrieved January 10, 2012 (Japanese). 
2. ^ Kumamoto Prefecture Election Commission: Election result
3. ↑ The Senkyo: Result of the gubernatorial election in Kumamoto 2012 ( Memento of the original from May 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ↑ Kagoshima Prefecture, election information: 平 成 24 年 7 月 8 日 執行 鹿 児 島 県 知事 選 挙  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ↑ Midori no Mirai, June 21, 2012: 【声明】 鹿 児 島 県 知事 選 向原 よ し た か さ ん 、 山口 県 県 知事 選 飯 田 哲 也 さ ん を 支持 し ま す
6. ↑ Kagoshima Prefecture Electoral Commission, Interim and Final Results of the Gubernatorial Election
7. ↑ Minami-Nihon Shimbun, 373news.com: Result of the gubernatorial election in Kagoshima 2012 ( Memento of the original from August 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
8. ↑ Yahoo News: 山口 県 知事 選 挙 ( Memento of the original from August 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
9. ↑ Yamaguchi Prefecture Electoral Supervision Commission : 平 成 24 年 7 月 29 日 執行 山口 県 知事 選 挙 の 投 開票 状況 ( Memento of the original from August 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
10. ↑ Yamaguchi Prefecture Electoral Supervision Commission : 平 成 24 年 7 月 29 日 執行 山口 県 知事 選 挙 の 投 開票 状況 ( Memento of the original from August 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
11. ↑ Niigata Prefecture Electoral Supervision Commission : 平 成 24 年 10 月 21 日 執行 新潟 県 知事 選 挙
12. ↑ Toyama Prefectural Administration, Election Oversight Commission announcements: 富山 県 知事 選 挙 の お 知 ら せ
13. ↑ Okayama Prefectural Administration, Electoral Inspection Commission: 岡山 県 知事 選 挙 等 の 日程 に つ い て
14. ↑ Toyama Election Commission: Interim and Final Results ( Memento of the original from October 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
15. ↑ 伊 原木 氏 が 初 当選 ＝ ４ 新人 の 争 い 制 す - 岡山 知事 選 . In: Jiji Tsūshin . October 28, 2012, archived from the original on January 26, 2013 ; Retrieved November 17, 2012 (Japanese). 
16. ↑ Okayama elects ex-store boss; Toyama picks incumbent. In: The Japan Times . October 30, 2012, accessed November 17, 2012 . 
17. ↑ Okayama Election Commission: Interim and Final Results
18. ↑ Tochigi Prefecture Electoral Control Commission : 選 挙 結果 栃 木 県 知事 選 挙
19. ↑ Tokyo Prefectural Election Commission , website for gubernatorial elections and parliamentary by-elections 2012 ( memento of the original from November 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : 立 候補 者 一 覧 ( Memento of the original dated December 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
20. ↑ Japanese comedian-turned-politician Higashikokubaru to drop Tokyo governor bid. In: The Japan Times . November 19, 2012, accessed November 19, 2012 . 
21. ↑ 都 知事 選 、 自主 投票 へ ＝ 首都 で 連 続 不 戦 敗 - 民主 . In: Jiji Tsūshin . November 20, 2012, Retrieved November 20, 2012 (Japanese). 
22. ↑ 都 知事 選 、 ２９ 日 に 告示 ＝ 新 銀行 、 エ ネ 政策 な ど 争 点 . In: The Wall Street Journal . November 29, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2012 (Japanese). 
23. ^ Mizuho Aoki: Governor poll puts legacy of Ishihara to the test. In: The Japan Times . November 29, 2012, accessed November 29, 2012 . 
24. ↑ 都 知事 選: 有力 ４ 氏 が 公開 討論 会 石 原 都 政 、 割 れ た 評 価 . (No longer available online.) In: Mainichi Shimbun , Tokyo morning edition. November 28, 2012, formerly in the original ; Retrieved November 29, 2012 (Japanese).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
25. ↑ 東京 都 知事 選: 当選 の 猪 瀬 氏 選 挙 の 個人 最多 得票 記録 更新 . (No longer available online.) In: Mainichi Shimbun . December 17, 2012, archived from the original on December 18, 2012 ; Retrieved December 18, 2012 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
26. ↑ 都 知事 選 最多 ４３３ 万 票 な ぜ 有 権 者 増 、 投票 率 も 上昇 . (No longer available online.) In: Tōkyō Shimbun, morning edition. December 18, 2012, archived from the original on December 19, 2012 ; Retrieved December 18, 2012 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
27. ^ Inose wins landslide victory in Tokyo. In: The Japan Times . December 18, 2012, accessed December 18, 2012 . 
28. ↑ Tokyo Prefecture Administration , Electoral Control Commission: 東京 都 知事 選 挙 （平 成 24 年 12 月 16 日 執行）） 結果
29. ↑ Japan Today: AKB48 urge Tokyo residents to vote in gubernatorial election