Opposition-backed candidate wins in Maebashi mayoral election
[ad_1] In a sign of voter backlash against the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over its political slush funds scandal, a novice candidate supported by major opposition parties defeated the ruling coalition’s choice in the Maebashi mayoral election in Gunma Prefecture on Sunday. Incumbent Mayor Ryu Yamamoto, 64, who was seeking a fourth term, lost to 41-year-old Akira Ogawa, a former prefectural assembly member, who will become Maebashi's first female mayor. […]