Hachiro Nitta, a former business executive supported by some Liberal Democratic Party members of the local assembly, won Sunday's gubernatorial election in Toyama Prefecture, central Japan.
The 62-year-old Nitta, former president of a group company of Nihonkaigas Kizuna Holdings Co., defeated LDP incumbent Gov. Takakazu Ishii, 74, and Eiko Kawabuchi, a 71-year-old head of a nongovernmental organization.
Ishii was seeking a fifth term with the backing of the prefectural chapters of the LDP, its ruling coalition partner Komeito and the Democratic Party for the People.
Nitta, brother of LDP Upper House lawmaker and former Hokkaido Gov. Harumi Takahashi, was supported by Toyama Mayor Masashi Mori as well as some LDP members of the assembly, marking the first split in the party's local chapter since the 1969 Toyama gubernatorial election.
During campaigning, Nitta said he would put his business administration skills to use when managing the affairs of the prefectural government.
Meanwhile, in the gubernatorial election in Okayama Prefecture the same day, Ryuta Ibaragi, 54, secured a third term, defeating 57-year-old Hisaki Moriwaki, a former prefectural assemblyman.
During his campaign, Ibaragi, backed by the ruling camp and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, listed his achievements over the past eight years, including rebuilding efforts following torrential rain in 2018.