Ichiro Hirosawa, former deputy mayor of Nagoya won the city's mayoral election on Sunday, defeating his six contenders, including former House of Councilors lawmaker Kohei Otsuka.
The election was effectively a one-on-one battle between Hirosawa, 60, who was endorsed by the Conservative Party of Japan and named by former Mayor Takashi Kawamura as his successor, and Otsuka, 65, who was backed by both ruling and opposition parties in national politics.
The election was held after Kawamura stepped down to run in last month's House of Representatives election. He had served as mayor for a total of about 15 years.
Voter turnout came to 39.63%, down from 42.12% in the previous mayoral election in Nagoya.
During his campaign, Hirosawa emphasized his intention to continue Kawamura's policies, including cutting the city resident tax and the mayor's salary. He was also supported by a regional political party headed by Kawamura.
Meanwhile, Otsuka vowed to renew the city government, with the support of Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura.
Hirosawa actively used social media to rally support. He told reporters on Sunday night that social media helped boost his campaign. Social media has "the power to create a movement," he said.
Meanwhile, Otsuka expressed anger over misinformation spread on social media, claiming that it had a "certain influence" on the election.
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