NahaGovernor Denny Tamaki seeks re-election on an anti-base platform.
His office controls the landfill permits Japan needs to relocate US forces within Okinawa.
Okinawa holds 0.6% of Japan’s land yet hosts most of its US military footprint.
Tokyo has repeatedly overridden the governor’s permit refusals, and this vote decides who holds that veto next.
Sources: The Diplomat