TOKYO, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Toshihiko Shimoji, 71, won his third four-year term as mayor of Miyakojima city in Okinawa Prefecture on Sunday, being reelected on a campaign of supporting plans for a Ground Self-Defense Force unit to be deployed there (GSDF).
The three other candidates he beat included two who were against the GSDF unit being deployed there, whereas the other candidate, like Shimoji, was in favor of it.
According to local officials, the central government headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is planning to deploy more of its GSDF units to the sub-tropical island of Okinawa and purportedly told Miyakojima city of its intentions in May 2015.
But while the government plans to beef up its plans and put more military assets and personnel on the tiny island which accounts for a fraction of Japans land mass, yet sees the majority of the U.S. military forces bases and personnel deployed in Japan hosted there, the local people have consistently voiced their opposition to the move.
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