Fukuoka Gov. Seitaro Hattori won a second term in Sunday's gubernatorial election in Fukuoka Prefecture, defeating three other candidates, including lawyer Koichiro Yoshida.
Hattori, 70, an independent candidate, was backed by the Liberal Democratic Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People, Komeito and the Social Democratic Party.
Voter turnout was 31.58%, up from 29.61% in the previous election four years ago, which was a record low.
Hattori waged an organized campaign while highlighting his accomplishments during his first term. He garnered broad support for his pledges to install air conditioners in prefectural high school gymnasiums and other facilities and to reduce the burden of nursery school fees on households with three or more children.
Yoshida, a 45-year-old independent supported by the Japanese Communist Party, advocated an immediate increase in the minimum wage. Nobuo Shindo, 76, called for the introduction of a basic income system that would provide flat cash allowances, and Takahiro Fujimaru, 48, appealed on a range of policies. But the three failed to gather enough votes.
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