Satoshi Mitazono

Satoshi Mitazono (三反園 訓, Mitazono Satoshi, born 1958) is a Japanese politician and journalist who was the former governor of Kagoshima Prefecture. He defeated the incumbent Yūichirō Itō at an election held on 10 July 2016.[1]

Satoshi Mitazono
三反園 訓
Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture
In office
28 July 2016 – 27 July 2020
Preceded byYūichirō Itō
Succeeded byKōichi Shiota
Personal details
Born (1958-02-13) February 13, 1958
Ibusuki, Kagoshima, Japan
Alma materWaseda University
ProfessionJournalist
WebsiteGovernor's official website

Early life and education

Mitazono was born in Ibusuki, Kagoshima in 1958. In 1980 he graduated from Waseda University with a bachelor's degree in education and was employed by TV Asahi as a political journalist.[2]

Pre-politics career

During his career with TV Asahi, Mitazono was responsible for reporting on national politics. From 1990 he was the political reporter for News Station, Asahi's daily night-time news program.[2] In 2004 he was employed as a part-time lecturer at Waseda University's Graduate School of Public Management.[2]

Political career

On 31 December 2015 Mitazono announced his intention to run in the July 2016 Kagoshima gubernatorial election as an independent candidate.[3] During a press conference in front of the prefectural government's building, he stated that the gap between regions was widening and that he wanted to revolutionise and bring life to Kagoshima, with ideas to expand the role of women.[3] He also expressed hope that the incumbent governor Yūichirō Itō would "pass the baton", stating that 12 years in office was one chapter.[3] However, Itō had already expressed his intention to seek a fourth four-year term in office at a prefectural assembly session earlier in the same month.[4] Mitazono officially declared his candidacy in February 2016[5] and the pair were the only two candidates when the election was formally announced in June.

Mitazono was considered a "conservative independent" candidate, and received official endorsement from the Democratic and Social Democratic parties.[6] He also received support from conservative local assembly members and former prefectural assembly members, despite the conservative Liberal Democratic and Komeito parties officially endorsing Itō.[7]

During the campaign, the biggest issue was whether the 12-year governorship of Itō should continue, or whether it was time for change in Mitazono.[7] Another point of difference was the candidates' position on nuclear power; in August 2015 the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima was the first nuclear plant in Japan to restart following the March 2011 Fukushima disaster and the only one in operation at the time of the election.[8][7] Itō accepted the national agency's position to allow the plant to operate for up to 60 years from the date the reactors were commissioned.[7] Conversely, Mitazono called for the plant to be shut down and its safety further investigated.

In the election held on 10 July 2016, Mitazono received 55.5% of the vote, defeating Itō by a margin of more than 84,000 votes.[9] In Satsumasendai, the location of the operating nuclear plants, Miatzono received 23,176 votes, just seven more than Itō.[9] Mitazono took office on 28 July 2016 and stated at a press conference on his first day that he would seek the suspension of operation at the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant as early as the following month.[1] He submitted a suspension request to Kyushu Electric Power on 26 August; the company rejected the request on 5 September on the grounds that the reactors are scheduled to undergo periodic inspection later in the year.[10] Mitazono responded by visiting the company's headquarters in Fukuoka to submit a second request two days later.[11]

References
  1. "New Kagoshima governor to seek suspension of Sendai reactors". Japan Times. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  2. "知事プロフィール" [Governor's Profile] (in Japanese). Kagoshima Prefecture. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  3. Nakajima, Ken (31 December 2015). "テレ朝の三反園訓氏、鹿児島知事選への立候補表明" [TV Asahi's Mitazono announces Kagoshima governor candidacy]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  4. "伊藤・鹿児島知事が４選出馬表明　「郷土の飛躍に全力」" [Kagoshima Governor Ito to seek a 4th term "Full energy for progressing our home"]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). 3 December 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  5. Somaya, Kenta (27 February 2016). "知事選　三反園氏が出馬を正式表明　「県民と歩む県政に」／鹿児島" [Kagoshima gubernatorial election: Mitazono officially announces candidacy "Politics that walks with the people"]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  6. Tanaka, Issei (7 July 2016). "「原発停止」の三反園訓氏か、「容認」の伊藤祐一郎氏か…　エネルギー政策に影響するのに争点にならず" ["Anti-nuclear" Satoshi Mitazono or "Accepting" Yuichiro Ito... Will affect energy policy but is not an issue]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  7. "鹿児島県知事選１０日投開票　県政刷新か継続か [鹿児島県]" [Kagoshima gubernatorial election: Polls on the 10th, will prefectural politics be reformed or continue? [Kagoshima Prefecture]. Nishinippon Shimbun (in Japanese). 8 July 2016. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  8. McCurry, Justin (11 August 2015). "Japan restarts first nuclear reactor since Fukushima disaster". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  9. "開票速報" [Results alert] (PDF) (in Japanese). Kagoshima Prefecture Electoral Commission. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  10. "Kyushu Electric nixes governor's request to halt nuclear plant". Asahi Shimbun. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  11. "Kagoshima governor repeats demand for halt to nuclear plant". Asahi Shimbun. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
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