Key issues in the Okinawa gubernatorial election campaign that kicked off Thursday are the transfer of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station from Ginowan to Nago and measures to boost the local economy, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The three main challengers, incumbent Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, former Ginowan Mayor Atsushi Sakima and former House of Representatives member Mikio Shimoji spent the first day of the campaign addressing voters on the streets and online to drum up support.
