The governor-elect of Fukushima prefecture must display strong leadership to accelerate efforts for reconstruction from the crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant and expedite the return of evacuees to their homes.

Former Deputy Gov. Masao Uchibori easily triumphed in the prefecture’s gubernatorial contest on Sunday, which was contested by a field of six first-time candidates. Uchibori won in his first campaign for the top post in the prefecture.

The Liberal Democratic Party’s Fukushima prefectural chapter had initially planned to field a candidate on its own ticket, but the party headquarters turned down that idea and backed Uchibori jointly with other parties, including the major opposition Democratic Party of Japan. The LDP leadership appeared to place top priority on avoiding a repeat of the loss it suffered in the gubernatorial race in Shiga prefecture in July, in which an LDP-endorsed candidate lost to an opposition contestant.

Uchibori had solid support from groups backing such parties as the LDP, DPJ and Komeito. He also won support from a wide spectrum of voters with no particular party preference.

He declared during his campaign that recovery from the Fukushima disaster would be his foremost task. “I’m determined to negotiate directly with the central government and TEPCO (on nuclear disaster matters).” He also promised to take the lead in attracting plants and companies from outside the prefecture, and work to expand marketing networks for Fukushima prefecture’s local products.

A former bureaucrat of the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, Uchibori was loaned to the Fukushima prefectural government in 2001 and became deputy governor in 2006. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, he oversaw the practical operations of dealing with the nuclear crisis triggered by the major earthquake and subsequent tsunami, under the leadership of incumbent Gov. Yuhei Sato.

The election results indicate Fukushima voters place high expectations on Uchibori, trusting in his administrative capabilities.

Regarding nuclear policy, all six candidates in the election said they were determined to have all 10 reactors in the prefecture decommissioned. Yoshihiro Kumasaka, a former mayor of Miyako, Iwate prefecture, expressed his opposition to resuming operations even at nuclear plants located outside the prefecture, but his argument failed to win over Fukushima voters.

Policy on nuclear power generation should be decided by the central government from a broad point of view, taking into account the energy situation of the nation as a whole, as well as safety and economic efficiency. It was right and proper for Uchibori to declare explicitly in the election campaign that he was “in no position to refer” to matters concerning nuclear plants outside Fukushima prefecture.

Three years and seven months have passed since the massive earthquake and tsunami, but efforts to reconstruct Fukushima are still not completed. The prefectural government should redouble its efforts to move to the fore in facilitating recovery programs, by providing more support to various municipalities and coordinating specific assistance arrangements for them. It should also negotiate effectively with the central government.

More than 120,000 people who lived near the Fukushima plant before the nuclear crisis are still displaced within and out of the prefecture due to radiation contamination. An evacuation advisory was lifted in April this year for the city of Tamura and for part of Kawauchi this month, so it is urgent to enable those who want to return to their homes to realize that goal and get sufficient support for rebuilding their lives.

Projects must be implemented in a well-thought-out way to improve infrastructure such as roads, medical institutions and educational facilities, in addition to securing local employment. The prefectural government has a leading role to play in making this happen not by individual village, city or town, but on a broader regional basis.

It is also urgent to build intermediary storage facilities to house contaminated soil and related substances produced through decontamination efforts. The prefecture is dotted with piles of contaminated soil for which the final destination is unknown, a major hindrance to recovery in the area. The prefectural government must make efforts to support the central government in such tasks as purchasing plots of land, constructing storage facilities and transporting contaminated soil there.

Because of harmful rumors, the prices of farm produce from the prefecture have not returned to pre-disaster levels. The incoming Fukushima governor should be at the forefront of efforts to accurately convey relevant information to bring such rumors to an end.

(Editorial, The Yomiuri Shimbun)

(Asia News Network)