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2026 September 9 - 15 [POLITICS]

JCP EC Chair Tamura comments on Okinawa gubernatorial election results

Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Tamura Tomoko on September 14 at a press conference in the Diet building commented on the results of the Okinawa gubernatorial election held on the previous day, in which incumbent Tamaki Denny was defeated.

Tamura paid her respects to the hard work of Tamaki and his campaign team. She noted that during the election campaign, Tamaki proposed policies putting Okinawan people’s interests first on issues of peace and daily life, and stressed the importance of making efforts to realize this proposal.

Tamura, touching on the U.S. base issue, stated that Tamaki in his election speech revealed the U.S. government’s policy under which it will not return the Futenma base unless a long runway is secured, even if a new base is built in Nago’s Henoko.

Tamura emphasized that this issue will become a major problem both for Okinawa and national politics in the future. She said, “An early return of the U.S. Futenma base is Okinawans’ heartfelt wishes and consensus. Tamaki’s revelation in the election campaign can be used as leverage in the struggle to achieve this.”

Asked about a barrage of defamation and slander directed via social media at the Tamaki camp during the election campaign, Tamura said, “This is a serious issue concerning democracy. Uncovering and verifying the facts are needed.”

In this regard, Tamaki at a press conference on election night said, “I have a sense of crisis that in Japan, war propaganda might spread through social media,” and sounded the alarm over an escalation of online slander in elections, such as those for local government heads.