Yamagata Governor Yoshimura Wins 5th Term

Yamagata, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)--Mieko Yoshimura won a fifth four-year term as governor of Yamagata Prefecture, northeastern Japan, in an election on Sunday.

Yoshimura, a 73-year-old independent, became the first woman in Japan to be elected prefectural governor for five or more consecutive terms, according to the National Governors' Association.

She defeated Jun Kanayama, an 84-year-old independent and her sole rival in the gubernatorial race.

Yoshimura drew broad-based support from voters as she was backed by prefectural chapters of the Liberal Democratic Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People and the Japanese Communist Party.

In the central prefecture of Gifu, Yoshihide Esaki, a 60-year-old independent, was elected governor for the first time.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]