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Former Japanese health minister Yoichi Masuzoe has been elected governor of Tokyo, easily
beating his two nearest rivals who said Japan could do without nuclear energy.
Masuzoe, who was heavily supported by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe throughout the campaign,
was declared the victor in exit polls on public broadcaster NHK minutes after voting closed
on Sunday. The ballot was widely seen as a test for Japan's
public opinion on atomic power as the two defeated candidates had vowed to end the country's
reliance on nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
In a victory speech, Masuzoe stressed that Tokyo needs electricity, saying that, while
the Fukushima disaster was devastating, Japan had to reduce its dependence on nuclear power
gradually.