is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

politician serving as the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

, following his election in June 2018. Prior to his election, Hanazumi served as a vice commandant in the

Japan Coast Guard The is the coast guard of Japan. The Japan Coast Guard consists of about 13,700 personnel and is responsible for the protection of the coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Th ...

and as Vice Governor of Niigata.

Governor of Niigata

In the race to become Niigata's governor, Hanazumi was backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and

Komeito , formerly New Komeito and abbreviated NKP, is a conservative political party in Japan founded by lay members of the Buddhist Japanese new religious movement Soka Gakkai in 1964. Since 2012, it has served in government as the junior coalitio ...

, in a face-off against opposition-backed candidate Chikako Ikeda. Throughout his campaign, Hanazumi tried to distance himself from the ruling coalition, in a bid to gain support from a wider range of voters. The ruling coalition has faced allegations of favoritism involving two school operators. In the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

, Hanazumi defeated Ikeda by a narrow 3.4% margin. In contrast to the pro-nuclear policies of the LDP and Komeito, Hanazumi vowed to maintain a cautious approach to the restart of the

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant The is a large, modern (housing the world's first advanced boiling water reactor or ABWR) nuclear power plant on a site.TEPCO Official Press Release (Japanese)First in Japan – Use of the Full Area for Power Plant Buildings, Reinforced Concret ...

, effectively following the policy of his opposition-supported predecessor. He was re-elected in the

2022 Niigata gubernatorial election The 2022 Niigata gubernatorial election was held on 29 May 2022. Hideyo Hanazumi was re-elected Governor of Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population ...

References

External links

* Governors of Niigata Prefecture Politicians from Niigata Prefecture University of Tokyo alumni 1958 births Living people {{Japan-politician-1950s-stub