Genta Koja’s landslide victory in Okinawa’s 2026 gubernatorial election reflects a shift in the prefecture’s political landscape. Economic concerns carried greater electoral weight, while polling revealed varied attitudes towards the Henoko relocation, Self-Defense Forces deployments and the wider US military presence. Generational change, security concerns in the Sakishima Islands, the weakening of the All-Okinawa coalition and narrowing legal options over Henoko have also reshaped electoral politics, leaving Okinawan security preferences increasingly fragmented and issue-specific.
by Koji Kagotani/East Asia Forum Okinawa’s politics move beyond the military base divide
