2018 Niigata gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:	2018 Niigata gubernatorial election
Country:	Niigata
Ongoing:	no
Type:	gubernatorial
Turnout:	58.25% 5.20%^[1]
Previous Election:	Niigata gubernatorial election, 2016
Previous Year:	2016
Election Date:	10 June 2018
Next Election:	2022 Niigata gubernatorial election
Next Year:	2022
Image1:	新潟県_知事_花角英世.jpg
Candidate1:	Hideyo Hanazumi
Party1:	Independent (politician)
Popular Vote1:	546,670
Percentage1:	49.61%
Candidate2:	Chikako Ikeda
Party2:	Independent (politician)
Popular Vote2:	509,568
Percentage2:	46.25%
Candidate3:	Satoshi Annaka
Party3:	Independent (politician)
Popular Vote3:	45,628
Percentage3:	4.14%
Governor
Before Election:	Ryuichi Yoneyama
Before Party:	Independent (politician)
After Election:	Hideyo Hanazumi
After Party:	Independent (politician)

The 2018 Niigata gubernatorial election was held on 10 June 2018 to elect the next governor of Niigata. Incumbent Governor Ryuichi Yoneyama resigned on 18 April 2018 in the wake of a sex scandal.^[2] This was also the first gubernatorial election in Niigata since the voting age was lowered to 18.

The election was initially expected to be a de facto referendum on the anti-nuclear policies pursued by Gov. Yoneyama, particularly his opposition to the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Central Niigata.^{[2] [3]} Both the pro-nuclear and the anti-nuclear camps are coalescing towards one candidate to represent each camp. The pro-nuclear camp will be represented by Hideyo Hanazumi, who is endorsed by the governing LDP and Komeito.^[4] Anti-nuclear Chikako Ikeda will be the opposition's unity candidate in the election.^[5]

In contrary to the policy of the parties that endorsed him, Hanazumi followed the opposition's line on nuclear energy, not unlike the one held by the incumbent governor.^[6] Hanazumi won the gubernatorial election by a narrow 3.4% margin. He vowed to continue Governor Yoneyama's approach on the issue of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant restart and related safety evaluations. In his victory speech, he also mentioned the possibility of resigning and holding another election mid-term to ask the populace whether the reactor should be restarted or not.^[6]

Candidates

Running

• Hideyo Hanazumi, former Deputy Governor of Niigata (2013–2015).^[4] (endorsed by LDP and Komeito)
• Chikako Ikeda, member of the Niigata Prefectural Assembly (2015–present).^[5] (endorsed by CDP, DPFP, JCP, SDP and LP)
• Satoshi Annaka, former member of the Gosen municipal assembly and independent candidate for the Niigata at-large district in the 2010 House of Councillors election.^[3]

Declined

• Makiko Kikuta, member of the House of Representatives (2003–present).^[7]
• Shigeaki Koga, former Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry bureaucrat and prominent Abe administration critic.^{[8] [9]}
• Etsuko Odaira, former mayor of Uonuma (2008–2016) and candidate for the Niigata 5th district in the 2017 general election.^[10]
• Isato Kunisada, mayor of Sanjō and former Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications bureaucrat.^[11]

Results

Breakdown

Division	Subdivision
		Annaka Independent		Hanazumi Independent		Ikeda Independent		Valid votes		Invalid votes		Turnout
		Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Total	%
Cities	Niigata	14,090	3.98	178,726	50.49	161,179	45.53	353,995	99.16	2,989	0.84	356,985	53.73
	Kita-ku	1,239	3.83	16,514	51.05	14,595	45.12	32,348	99.25	245	0.75	32,593	52.08
	Higashi-ku	2,726	4.63	29,693	50.46	26,430	44.91	58,849	99.15	502	0.85	59,351	51.59
	Chūō-ku	2,673	3.33	43,802	54.58	33,785	42.09	80,260	99.12	712	0.88	80,972	55.28
	Kōnan-ku	1,331	4.41	15,423	51.09	13,436	44.50	30,190	99.20	244	0.80	30,434	53.16
	Akiha-ku	1,457	4.12	16,074	45.48	17,813	50.40	35,344	99.23	273	0.77	30,434	54.98
	Minami-ku	781	4.16	9,276	49.39	8,723	46.45	18,780	99.22	148	0.78	18,928	49.49
	Nishi-ku	2,846	4.00	35,950	50.48	32,418	45.52	71,214	99.11	641	0.89	71,855	54.99
	Nishikan-ku	1,037	3.84	11,994	44.41	13,979	51.75	27,010	99.17	225	0.83	27,235	55.20
	Nagaoka	4,658	3.57	61,348	47.04	64,406	49.39	130,412	98.98	1,339	1.02	131,751	58.12
	Sanjō	2,402	4.94	23,132	47.54	23,120	47.52	48,654	99.14	423	0.86	49,077	58.88
	Kashiwazaki	971	2.07	21,985	46.95	23,871	50.98	46,827	99.21	374	0.79	47,201	65.77
	Shibata	1,963	4.23	23,901	51.49	20,552	44.28	46,416	99.08	429	0.92	46,845	56.64
	Ojiya	691	3.52	9,071	46.18	9,880	50.30	19,642	98.73	252	1.27	19,894	65.28
	Kamo	591	4.14	6,922	48.50	6,760	47.36	14,273	99.08	133	0.92	14,406	60.41
	Tōkamachi	975	3.25	14,733	49.14	14,274	47.61	29,982	99.06	286	0.94	30,268	65.83
	Mitsuke	973	4.76	8,850	43.34	10,598	51.90	20,421	98.81	245	1.19	20,666	60.08
	Murakami	1,068	3.32	17,196	53.41	13,932	43.27	32,196	99.23	251	0.77	32,447	61.76
	Tsubame	1,543	3.93	18,937	48.25	18,766	47.82	39,246	99.10	358	0.90	39,604	58.74
	Itoigawa	788	3.23	12,958	53.15	10,634	43.62	24,380	99.21	195	0.79	24,575	66.12
	Myōkō	757	4.73	7,611	47.54	7,643	47.74	16,011	99.32	110	0.68	20,666	57.78
	Gosen	4,049	16.01	11,683	46.19	9,564	37.81	25,296	99.35	165	0.65	25,461	58.46
	Jōetsu	3,880	4.24	41,398	45.19	46,338	50.58	91,616	99.00	922	1.00	92,538	57.24
	Agano	1,068	4.81	11,971	53.95	9,149	41.23	22,188	99.18	184	0.82	22,372	61.40
	Sado	711	2.27	21,344	68.06	9,305	29.67	31,360	99.32	215	0.68	31,575	65.46
	Uonuma	916	4.47	9,905	48.38	9,652	47.15	20,473	98.53	305	1.47	20,778	66.48
	Minamiuonuma	1,205	4.03	14,122	47.27	14,550	48.70	29,877	98.18	553	1.82	30,430	64.31
	Tainai	570	3.73	8,210	53.74	6,496	42.52	15,276	99.19	125	0.81	15,401	61.12
Towns and villages	Kitakanbara District	322	5.13	3,566	56.77	2,394	38.11	6,282	99.18	52	0.82	6,334	55.59
	Seirō	322	5.13	3,566	56.77	2,394	38.11	6,282	99.18	52	0.82	6,334	55.59
	Nishikanbara District	186	4.13	2,136	47.47	2,178	48.40	4,500	99.97	47	1.03	4,547	66.39
	Yahiko	186	4.13	2,136	47.47	2,178	48.40	4,500	99.97	47	1.03	4,547	66.39
	Minamikanbara District	353	5.30	3,154	47.36	3,153	47.34	6,660	99.06	63	0.94	6,723	65.16
	Tagami	353	5.30	3,154	47.36	3,153	47.34	6,660	99.06	63	0.94	6,723	65.16
	Higashikanbara District	320	4.51	3,837	54.13	2,931	41.35	7,088	98.95	75	1.05	7,163	70.93
	Aga	320	4.51	3,837	54.13	2,931	41.35	7,088	98.95	75	1.05	7,163	70.93
	Santō District	68	2.56	1,415	53.34	1,170	44.10	2,653	99.03	26	0.97	2,679	68.39
	Izumozaki	68	2.56	1,415	53.34	1,170	44.10	2,653	99.03	26	0.97	2,679	68.39
	Minamiuonuma District	164	4.17	1,836	46.68	1,933	49.15	3,933	98.92	43	1.08	3,976	57.56
	Yuzawa	164	4.17	1,836	46.68	1,933	49.15	3,933	98.92	43	1.08	3,976	57.56
	Nakauonuma District	183	3.11	3,029	51.48	2,672	45.41	5,884	99.21	47	0.79	5,931	70.39
	Tsunan	183	3.11	3,029	51.48	2,672	45.41	5,884	99.21	47	0.79	5,931	70.39
	Kariwa District	60	2.17	1,566	56.53	1,144	41.30	2,770	99.14	24	0.86	2,794	71.79
	Kariwa	60	2.17	1,566	56.53	1,144	41.30	2,770	99.14	24	0.86	2,794	71.79
	Iwafune District	103	2.90	2,128	59.86	1,324	37.24	3,555	99.16	30	0.84	3,585	67.97
	Sekikawa	99	3.01	1,941	59.00	1,250	37.99	3,290	99.13	29	0.87	3,319	66.49
	Awashimaura	4	1.51	187	70.57	74	27.92	265	99.62	1	0.38	266	94.33
Total		45,628	4.14	546,670	49.61	509,568	46.25	1,101,866	99.08	10,246	0.92	1,112,127	58.25
Source: Results

External links

Official websites

• Hideyo Hanazumi
• Chikako Ikeda
• Satoshi Annaka

Notes and References

1. Web site: http://www.pref.niigata.lg.jp/HTML_Article/294/104/tijisenkyosokuhouteisei0614_745453.pdf. ja:県知事選挙の投・開票速報を訂正します。. 新潟県. 24 June 2018. Japanese. https://web.archive.org/web/20180624084149/http://www.pref.niigata.lg.jp/HTML_Article/294/104/tijisenkyosokuhouteisei0614_745453.pdf. 24 June 2018. dead.
2. News: Niigata governor resigns in sex scandal; reactor restarts get push. Asahi Shimbun. 19 April 2018. 14 May 2018. 14 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180514213645/http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201804190046.html. dead.
3. News: Nuclear issue again takes center stage in Niigata election. Azusa. Kato. Shinya. Takagi. Asahi Shimbun. 25 May 2018. 27 May 2018. 27 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180527020218/http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201805250052.html. dead.
4. News: 自民、新潟知事選に海保次長を擁立方針 党本部に要請へ. Asahi Shimbun. 20 April 2018. 14 May 2018. Japanese.
5. News: 自旧民進が知事選野党共闘へ、新潟. Kyodo News. 11 May 2018. 14 May 2018. Japanese.
6. News: LDP-backed candidate wins governor's race in Niigata. Asahi Shimbun. 10 June 2018. 11 June 2018. 12 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612103158/http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201806110049.html. dead.
7. News: 新潟県知事選の候補選び急展開 花角氏、近く意思表明 . Nihon Keizai Shimbun. 10 May 2018. 14 May 2018. Japanese.
8. News: Ex-bureaucrat blasts Abe on news program. Tomohiro. Osaki. Japan Times. 30 March 2015. 31 May 2018.
9. News: 古賀茂明「注目の新潟県知事選、紆余曲折の末に決まった野党女性候補の素顔」. Shigeaki. Koga. AERA dot.. 14 May 2018. 31 May 2018. Japanese.
10. News: 三条市長、知事選出馬を否定. Niigata Nippo. 30 April 2018. 24 June 2018. Japanese.
11. News: 三条市長、知事選出馬を否定. Niigata Nippo. 27 April 2018. 24 June 2018. Japanese.