The relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture continues despite the re-election of Governor Danny Tamaki.

The governor of Okinawa, who opposes moving the base from Ginowan to the Henoko coastal district of Nago, won a second term on Sunday, defeating two challengers including Atsushi Sakima in a rematch of the 2018 election.

The pro-immigration scheme was supported by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito's national ruling coalition. The former mayor of Ginowan won more votes than Tamaki in that city and Nago.

For Tamaki, the road ahead may prove difficult.

An ongoing court battle

"We are moving forward with the understanding of the people of Okinawa," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, referring to the task of moving the base. "We must keep trying."

After approval of the prefecture in late 2013, the central government, with the support of a national ruling coalition under a conservative governor, began restoration work at Henoko in the southern part of the coastal region. This marine area has now been reclaimed, accounting for just under 30% of the total restoration area.

However, in the northern part, restoration work has not progressed in areas of weak seabed that need reinforcement. Tamaki had become governor and did not approve the central government's request to change the design of the project, which included reinforcement work.

Tamaki is engaged in a legal battle with the central government over his decision. His re-election is expected to prolong the conflict.

Some inside the central government took the election results as saying that "how people voted is important, but not all voters are against devolution."

Voters in Gonowan and Nago, which were directly affected by urban migration, voted more for Schema than for Tamaki. Schema had 26,221 votes from the Ginowan electorate to Tamaki's 20,722, while he was slightly ahead in Nago with 15,407 votes with 15,717 votes.

In the mayoral election of Ginovan also on Sunday, the pro-incumbent mayor backed by the National ruling coalition defeated a first-time mayoral candidate. Even in Nago city assembly elections, candidates supporting the incumbent mayor, who is backed by the National Ruling Coalition, won a majority.

A senior LDP official said "With the transfer process properly underway, it is a dull argument to emphasize only the core issue." "The economic stimulus plan presented by Schema during the election campaign also attracted voters' interest."

LDP is reaping the benefits.

In this election year, the LDP won all four mayoral elections in Okinawa, including Nago. For the House of Councilors election to fill a seat in the Okinawa constituency in July, an LDP candidate was only 2,888 votes behind the winning candidate backed by the national opposition parties.

Nevertheless, the decisive battle of the gubernatorial elections ended in the defeat of the National ruling coalition. The LDP said the votes of the conservative camp failed to go to Schema.

"No doubt some people in the prefecture were concerned" about the LDP's links to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, the LDP said. Election Strategy Committee Chairperson Hiroshi Moriyama said on Monday.

With united local elections coming up next spring, the LDP is likely to urgently need to rethink its preparation for those elections.