The prefectural ruling camp in Okinawa, led by Gov. Denny Tamaki, failed to secure a majority of seats in Sunday's election for the prefectural assembly.
In Okinawa, forces opposing the planned relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within the prefecture have controlled prefectural politics and the prefectural assembly since 2014, when Takeshi Onaga was elected governor.
While the incumbent governor plans to continue working on blocking the relocation project, the tough result of Sunday's election suggests he will have a difficult time managing the prefectural administration.