Even mayoral elections often have the biggest repercussions. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe might want to ponder that as he considers what went wrong in Nago, Okinawa (population 62,000).

Abe¡¯s Liberal Democratic Party failed to dislodge incumbent Mayor Susumu Inamine in Sunday¡¯s contest, putting Japan-U.S. relations at risk. Inamine has pledged to block the relocation of a U.S. air base to his district, something that Abe had assured Washington was a done deal.

Apparently not.