Gubernatorial elections in Japan 2017

Gubernatorial elections in Japan were held in nine prefectures in 2017 .

January 22nd: Yamagata

The gubernatorial election in Yamagata was scheduled for January 22nd . But as in the 2013 gubernatorial election , no candidate except for Governor Mieko Yoshimura , who was already the winner of the election without a vote at the start of the statutory election campaign on January 5th.

January 29th: Gifu

In Gifu , governor Hajime Furuta , who has been in office since 2005, applied for a fourth term with the support of both major parties. With the support of the CPY , Mitsuhiro Takaki, a former member of the CPY Gifu committee and an unsuccessful (3,147 votes nationwide) CPY candidate in the proportional representation to the House of Lords in 2016, ran. During the election campaign, Takaki called, among other things, for an expansion of social benefits and a review of large infrastructure projects. With a slight increase in voter turnout of 36.39% (2013: 33.92%), Furuta prevailed with an overwhelming majority (Furuta 493,224 votes, Takaki 112,382).

March 26th: Chiba

The gubernatorial election in Chiba took place on March 26th, the announcement (start of the election) took place on March 9th. Governor Kensaku Morita was running for a third term, and there were three challengers against him: Hideki Matsuzaki, previously mayor of Urayasu , the former high school teacher Shin'ichi Sumiya and Hisakazu Takenami, a former employee of a construction company. The prefecture associations of LDP and Kōmeitō supported Morita's re-election, Sumiya is supported by the CPJ, Liberal Party and Shimin Network Chiba. The Democratic Progressive Party are as already the Democratic Party four years ago from no choice recommendation.

The topics of the election campaign included, among other things, the toll reduction for the Tōkyō-wan-Aqua-Line , promoted by Morita , which he wants to maintain, and the preparations for the 2020 Summer Olympics in the neighboring Tokyo Prefecture, for which some competition venues are to be located in Chiba. The turnout fell slightly compared to the low level of 2013 (31.96%) to 31.18%. Morita won by a two-thirds majority.

Result of the Chiba gubernatorial election

candidate	be right	proportion of
Kensaku Morita	1,094,291	68.8%
Hideki Matsuzaki	347.194	21.8%
Shin'ichi Sumiya	135,532	8.3%
Hisakazu Takenami	16,072	1.0%
total		100.00%
Invalid votes u. Ä.
voter turnout		31.2%

April 9: Akita

In Akita (election day April 9, announcement March 23) incumbent Norihisa Satake , who was last confirmed without a vote in 2013, announced in December 2016 that he would apply for a third term. His re-election was supported by the LDP Prefectural Association, Kōmeitō and SDP , among others . He was challenged by his predecessor Sukeshiro Terata , who was meanwhile a member of the national parliament ( Minna → Yui → Ishin → non-party / Minshintō faction) from 2010 to 2016 , and the communist former member of the prefectural parliament Umeyoshi Yamauchi. Satake won.

Result of the gubernatorial election in Akita

candidate	be right	proportion of
Norihisa Satake	335.795	67.8%
Sukeshiro Terata	123,868	25.0%
Umeyoshi Yamauchi	35,382	7.1%
total	495.045	100.00%
Invalid votes u. Ä.	4,573	0.9%
voter turnout	499,618	56.8%

June 25: Shizuoka

The Shizuoka gubernatorial election was scheduled for June 25, along with a by-election to the prefectural parliament, so the gubernatorial election was announced on June 8. Incumbent Heita Kawakatsu ran for a third term with the support of the Minshintō Shizuoka, the only opposing candidate was former Olympic medalist and university lecturer Noriko Mizoguchi , who was chairwoman of the Shizuoka Prefectural Education Committee from 2014 to 2015. It was supported by parts of the LDP prefectural association, which had renounced its own nomination.

The turnout fell by around three points compared to 2013 (49.5%). Kawakatsu prevailed with almost 60% of the vote, significantly less than in 2013, when he was confirmed in office with 72.6% of the votes. Mizoguchi received around 6,000 more votes than Kawakatsu in the capital Shizuoka, but he received around 78,000 more votes in Shizuoka's largest city, Hamamatsu, and won in all other cities.

The result of the Shizuoka gubernatorial election

candidate	be right	proportion of
Heita Kawakatsu	833.389	59.7%
Noriko Mizoguchi	563,316	40.3%
total	1,396,705	100.00%
Invalid votes u. Ä.	24,740	1.7%
voter turnout	1,421,445	46.4%

July 2nd: Hyogo

In Hyōgo (official announcement June 15, election day July 2), three challengers competed against Governor Toshizō Ido in 2017 : the columnist Masahiko Katsuya, the CPJ-supported former Rōren unionist Tomohisa Tsugawa and Chōzō Nakagawa, former mayor of the city of Kasai and who had been knocked out Gubernatorial candidate in Tokyo 2016 . The prefectural associations of LDP, Minshintō, Kōmeitō and SDP supported Ido's re-election.

Governor Ido was re-elected for a fifth term by an absolute majority.

August 27: Ibaraki

Ibaraki : The longest-serving governor in the country with five re-elections, Masaru Hashimoto, was defeated by candidate Kazuhiko Ōigawa, a former MITI official and IT manager, who was supported by LDP and Kōmeitō .

October 22: Miyagi

In Miyagi (election October 5, election day October 22) incumbent Yoshihiro Murai was re-elected for a fourth term.

November 12th: Hiroshima

Hiroshima : Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki , who was elected in 2013 for a second term ending November 28, 2017, prevailed on November 10, 2017 by an overwhelming majority against challenger Atsumi Takami and was re-elected for a third term of four years.

Individual evidence

List of Prefectural Governors (National Governors' Association) As of April 2017 nga.gr.jp/english

1. ↑ 山形 県 知事 選 現 職 の 吉 村 氏 が 無 投票 で ３ 選 . In: NHK Senkyo Web. January 5, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2019 (Japanese). 
2. ↑ 岐阜 県 知事 選 現 職 の 古 田氏 ４ 回 目 の 当選 . In: NHK Senkyo Web. January 30, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2019 (Japanese). 
3. ↑ Ex-mayor expected to win re-election in Gifu city while appealing bribery conviction (second half of the article). In: The Japan Times . January 29, 2017, accessed February 16, 2017 . 
4. ^ Gifu Prefecture, Election Oversight Commission: election results , gubernatorial elections , 19th gubernatorial election
5. ↑ Chiba Prefecture: Site of the Election Oversight Commission for the 20th gubernatorial election
6. ↑ 千葉 知事 選 が 告示 ４ 氏 が 届 け 出 . In: Asahi Shimbun Digital. March 9, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2017 (Japanese). 
7. ↑ 千葉 県 知事 選 告示 、 ４ 氏 が 立 候補 森田 県 政 ８ 年 の 信 を 問 う . In: nikkei.com . March 10, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2017 (Japanese). 
8. ↑ ４ 氏 届 け 出 舌 戦 幕 開 け 「森田 県 政」 問 う 教育 、 福祉 、 経 済 も 焦点 【【千葉 県 知事 選 告示】 . In: Chiba Nippō . March 10, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2017 (Japanese). 
9. ↑ 千葉 知事 選 、 森田 健 作 氏 が ３ 選… ３ 新人 を 破 る . (No longer available online.) In: Yomiuri Online . March 27, 2017, archived from the original on March 27, 2017 ; Retrieved March 26, 2017 (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.  
10. ^ Incumbent Morita wins third four-year term in Chiba gubernatorial election. In: The Japan Times . March 26, 2017, accessed March 26, 2017 . 
11. ↑ 千葉 県 知事 選 現 職 の 森田 健 作 氏 ３ 回 目 の 当選 . In: NHK Senkyo Web. March 27, 2017, Retrieved February 14, 2019 (Japanese). 
12. ↑ ＜ 秋田 知事 選 ＞ 佐 竹 知事 ３ 選出 馬 表明 . (No longer available online.) In: Kahoku Shimpō Online News. December 6, 2016, archived from the original on February 17, 2017 ; Retrieved February 16, 2017 (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.  
13. ↑ 秋田 県 知事 に 佐 竹 氏 が ３ 選 寺 田氏 と 山 内 氏 破 る . In: Asahi Shimbun Digital. April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2017 (Japanese). 
14. ↑ ＜ 秋田 県 知事 選 ＞ 佐 竹 氏 が ３ 選 確 実 . (No longer available online.) In: Kahoku Shimpō Online News. April 9, 2017, archived from the original on April 10, 2017 ; Retrieved April 9, 2017 (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.  
15. ↑ Akita Prefecture , Election Oversight Commission : Pages on the 2017 gubernatorial election , voter turnout , result (excel, Japanese, accessed June 27, 2017)
16. ↑ Shizuoka Prefecture, Press Release of the Election Oversight Commission February 22, 2017: 第 19 回 静岡 県 知事 選 挙 等 の 選 挙 期日 等
17. ↑ Shizuoka Shimbun : Pages on the 2017 gubernatorial election (Japanese)
18. ↑ 静岡 県 知事 選 が 告示 新 顔 と 現 職 の ２ 人 が 立 候補 . In: Asahi Shimbun Digital. June 8, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2017 (Japanese). 
19. ↑ 静岡 県 知事 選 現 職 の 川 勝 氏 ３ 回 目 の 当選 . In: NHK Senkyo Web. June 26, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2019 (Japanese). 
20. ↑ 川 勝 氏 、 得票 率 下 げ る ４０ 市区 町 で 下落 静岡 県 知事 選 分析 . (No longer available online.) In: @S Shizuoka Shimbun SBS. June 27, 2017, archived from the original on June 29, 2017 ; Retrieved June 27, 2017 (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.  
21. ↑ Shizuoka Prefecture , Election Oversight Commission: Pages on the 2017 gubernatorial election , voter turnout and results (pdf / excel, Japanese, accessed June 27, 2017)
22. ↑ Hyōgo Prefecture , Electoral Inspection Commission: On the gubernatorial election
23. ↑ 兵 庫 県 知事 選 が 告示 新 顔 と 現 職 の ４ 人 が 立 候補 . In: Asahi Shimbun Digital. June 15, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2017 (Japanese). 
24. ↑ 井 戸 敏 三 氏 が ５ 選 確 実 に 兵 庫 県 知事 選 . In: Asahi Shimbun Digital. July 2, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2017 (Japanese). 
25. ↑ 兵 庫 県 知事 選 現 職 の 井 戸 氏 ５ 回 目 の 当選 . In: NHK Senkyo Web. July 3, 2017, Retrieved February 14, 2019 (Japanese). 
26. ↑ thediplomat.com August 29, 2017
27. ↑ https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1059074/tokyo-2020-praised-for-attention-given-to-great-east-japan-earthquake-recovery-efforts