Inamine wins mayor election in Nago city, Japan

Mayor of Nago city in Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, Susumu Inamine, won the mayor election Sunday, according to Japan's broadcaster NHK. The 68-year-old Inamine is an opponent against the construction of a new U.S. military facility in the city's Henoko district. Despite local opposition, the Japanese central government and the United States agreed to relocate the Futenma airbase from a crowded residential area in the prefecture's Ginowan to Nago's Henoko. His only rival is Bunshin Suematsu, 65, a former Okinawa prefectural assembly member who backs the relocation plan. Local media said that Inamine's victory would significantly affect the planned construction of new military facility for the Futenma as he has said he will use his mayoral power to block it. Construction is likely to be delayed as the mayor has the authority to approve the use of ports and roads, said Japan's Kyodo News. Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima, who originally opposed relocating the air station within Okinawa, however, changed his stand and approved last month the controversial plan that the central government asked for landfill work to build the new military facility. Nakaima's decision came after the central government on Dec. 24 unveiled its policy to continue providing at least 300 billion yen (about 2.88 billion U.S. dollars) for the island prefecture's development every year through fiscal 2021. Inamine is backed by the Japanese Communist Party, the People's Life Party, the Social Democratic Party and a local political party in the election.