Okinawa Re-Elects Governor Who Wants Less US Military Presence on Island

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki speaks to the media after a meeting with Japan's then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on March 1, 2019. Kimimasa Mayama/Pool via Reuters/File Photo

Voters in Japan’s Okinawa re-elected Denny Tamaki as governor on Sunday, public broadcaster NHK and other media said, backing an independent candidate who wants a smaller U.S. military footprint on the chain of islands near Taiwan.

Okinawa prefecture is far closer to Taiwan than to Tokyo, putting it front and centre to growing tension in the region.