Tokyo International News Agency

In the Okinawa gubernatorial election held on September 13, 2026, conservative newcomer Genta Koja was projected to win his first election. Securing victory over incumbent Denny Tamaki, who was seeking a third term, the result was announced as a "zero-tu" projection—meaning victory was called the exact moment polls closed—sending shockwaves and sparking a wide range of reactions across social media. The election race was primarily shaped as a contest between Koja, who was backed by six parties including the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and the incumbent Tamaki. Discussions are currently active among voters and internet users regarding what kind of changes this will bring to the major challenges facing Okinawa, such as the prominent push for economic policies and the relocation issue of the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station to Henoko. On social media, many voices are expressing expectations and closely monitoring the future direction, with comments such as "This coul...

Voting and ballot counting for the Okinawa gubernatorial election took place, with the media issuing a "zero-call"—projecting the victory of newcomer Genta Koja at 8:00 PM precisely as the polls closed. This historic flash report, which saw him defeat incumbent Denny Tamaki, quickly became a major trending topic on X (formerly Twitter), sparking astonishment, congratulations, and heated discussions regarding the political background. A "zero-call" refers to a method where a candidate's victory is projected based on exit polls and other data even before the ballot counting officially begins, when the counted vote rate is at 0%. Many users expressed surprise that such a landslide victory was announced using this method. While comments such as "I thought it was going to be a close race, so the unexpected zero-call surprised me" and "I never imagined there would be such an overwhelming gap" poured in, some voices also questioned the reliability o...