KANAZAWA, ISHIKAWA PREF. ¨C Yukiyoshi Yamano, an independent and a former mayor of Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, won the prefecture¡¯s gubernatorial election for the first time on Sunday, defeating incumbent Gov. Hiroshi Hase and another candidate.
Yamano, 63, ran for Ishikawa governor after having also contested the previous gubernatorial election in 2022. He received support from the prefectural chapter of the opposition Democratic Party for the People and some conservative prefectural assembly members, highlighting his three terms as Kanazawa mayor.
On the key campaign issue of reconstruction following the powerful earthquake that rocked the Noto Peninsula in 2024, Yamano expressed his intention to stay in affected areas of Ishikawa for a certain period and strengthen dialogue with residents.
Of the two defeated candidates, who both ran as independents, Hase, 64, was backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, as well as by a labor union body, the prefectural chapter of the Social Democratic Party and mayors across the prefecture, running a highly organized campaign. Akira Kuroume, 78, was supported by the Japanese Communist Party.
Voter turnout was 54.68%, down from 61.82% in the previous election.
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