Satoshi Mitazono wins governor race in Kagoshima

July 11, 2016

Advocate of halting atomic reactors wins Kagoshima governor race

July 10, 2016 (Mainichi Japan)

KAGOSHIMA (Kyodo) -- Satoshi Mitazono, who has pledged to halt nuclear reactors operating in the prefecture, won the Kagoshima gubernatorial election Sunday, beating incumbent Yuichiro Ito, who agreed to the restart of a nuclear plant in the southwestern prefecture.

The 58-year-old Mitazono, a former TV Asahi Corp. commentator, was backed by the main opposition Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Party and some conservatives who typically support the ruling Liberal Democratic Party but were opposed to the incumbent.

Ito, 68, was seeking a fourth four-year term with the support of the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito. He admitted defeat.

The fate of Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai nuclear power plant in the prefecture was one of the contentious issues during the election campaign.

The Sendai plant's Nos. 1 and 2 units are the only reactors operating in Japan after the government imposed tougher safety rules following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan.

Mitazono claimed that the operation of the reactors should be temporarily halted for safety checks following a series of powerful earthquakes that hit the southwestern main island of Kyushu in April, while Ito argued that the plant's safety has been secured.

Mitazono told reporters, "It's the top leadership's role to create momentum toward a nuclear power-free society,"

"We cannot run a nuclear power station unless its safety is ensured," he said.

Voter turnout stood at 56.77 percent, up 12.92 percentage points from the previous election in 2012, according to the prefectural election management committee.

Nuclear-free society advocate set to win Kagoshima governor race

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/07/10/national/politics-diplomacy/nuclear-free-society-advocate-set-win-kagoshima-governor-race/#.V4Na4aJdeou

Kyodo

• Jul 10, 2016

KAGOSHIMA – Anti-nuclear advocate Satoshi Mitazono was heading for victory in the Kagoshima gubernatorial race Sunday, beating incumbent Yuichiro Ito, who agreed to the resumption of reactors at a power plant in the prefecture, a projection showed.

The 58-year-old Mitazono is a former TV Asahi Corp. commentator. He ran as an independent backed by the main opposition Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party as well as some conservatives who typically support the ruling Liberal Democratic Party but were opposed to the incumbent.

Ito, 68, with the support of the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito, was seeking his fourth four-year term.

One of the contentious issues in the race was the fate of Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai nuclear power plant in the prefecture.

The Sendai plant’s No. 1 and No. 2 units are the only reactors operating in the country after the government imposed tougher safety rules following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Mitazono demanded that plant operations be temporarily suspended for safety checks in the wake of a series of strong earthquakes that hit central Kyushu in April, while Ito argued that the plant’s safety had been secured.

“We will not activate any reactors the safety of which is not guaranteed,” he told reporters on Sunday.