NAHA, Japan - Gov. Denny Tamaki, an opponent of the relocation of a U.S. military base within Okinawa Prefecture, is running neck and neck with Genta Koja, who supports the transfer, in the southern prefecture's gubernatorial race, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.
In a two-day telephone survey conducted from Saturday, 46 percent of respondents, the largest share, said they want the next Okinawa governor to focus on policies related to the economy, tourism and employment.
Tamaki, who is vying for a third term, has not sought an official party endorsement but is supported by left-leaning opposition forces including the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Japanese Communist Party, both part of the All Okinawa group.
Campaigning for the Sept. 13 gubernatorial election began in late August, with the controversial relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma a key issue.
The survey received responses from 603 eligible voters contacted by landline phones and 404 via mobile phone numbers, with 10 percent undecided on which of the six candidates to vote for.
Koja, a former deputy mayor of Naha, has the support of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party. He is also backed by the opposition Democratic Party for the People and ultraconservative Sanseito party.
The gubernatorial contest is deemed crucial for the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, ahead of unified local elections next spring.
Okinawa has continued to host the bulk of U.S. military facilities in the country since its 1972 reversion from U.S. control following Japan's defeat in World War II.
Repeated crimes by U.S. service members and issues such as noise and pollution associated with the facilities have prompted calls for the base to be moved out of the prefecture rather than relocated from a crowded residential part of Ginowan to the less populated Henoko coastal area of Nago.
The central government asserts the current relocation plan is "the only solution" for removing the dangers posed by the base while maintaining the deterrence of its security alliance with the United States.
