Ehime governor seeks a fifth term in election on 15 November 2026

Who is running

Tokihiro Nakamura, 66, has been governor since 2010 and runs as an independent for a fifth term. Before that he was a member of the prefectural assembly, a member of the House of Representatives, the lower house of Japan's parliament, and mayor of Matsuyama, the prefecture's capital. He has presented 110 pledges. He keeps the three priorities of his fourth term: disaster prevention, measures against population decline and reviving the regional economy.

Hiroyuki Miyazawa, 51, runs as an independent. He comes from Hamamatsu and won a seat in the House of Representatives in 2012 for the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He served as state minister of defence. In 2024 he left the party and resigned his seat after media reports about his relations with women. In June 2026 he founded a political group, Soseito. He says he has heard that the governor's administration does not tolerate criticism, and calls that a harm of long rule.

Tsukasa Wada, 74, runs as an independent. He is secretary-general of a civic group formed by the Japanese Communist Party and other organisations. When he opened his campaign office in October 2026 he said he would do all he can to support the daily lives of the prefecture's residents.

How the vote works

Voters choose one governor in a single round. The candidate with the most valid votes wins, provided he or she has at least a quarter of them.

Polling stations open at 07:00 and close at 20:00 local time. A municipal election commission may close a station up to four hours earlier in special circumstances.

The election is formally announced on 29 October 2026, the day the official campaign begins. Matsuyama elects its mayor on the same day as the governor.

How the race got here

Nakamura first won the governorship in 2010. At the last election, in November 2022, he had one opponent and won a fourth term with 341,064 votes to 36,526. Turnout was 33.95%.

Miyazawa came forward first: on 10 August 2026 he told the newspaper Ehime Shimbun that he would run. At that point Nakamura had not said whether he would stand. Wada announced his candidacy in Matsuyama on 25 September 2026. Nakamura formally announced his on 8 October 2026 at the prefectural office.

What happens next

1. Oct 8The governor announces his candidacy
2. today
3. Oct 29The official campaign begins
4. Nov 15Voting day
5. Nov 30The current term of office ends
6. Dec 1The winner's term starts

The votes are counted on 15 November 2026 after the polls close. In 2022 the prefecture's election commission showed all votes counted at 23:30 local time on voting day.

The current term of office ends on 30 November 2026. The winner's term starts the next day, 1 December 2026.