A Democratic Party of Japan-backed candidate won Sunday’s gubernatorial election in Shizuoka, seeing off his main rival backed by the ruling coalition and dealing a further blow to Prime Minister Taro Aso ahead of the looming general election.
   
Heita Kawakatsu, 60, backed by the main opposition DPJ, the Social Democratic Party and the People’s New Party, won a close contest, defeating Yukiko Sakamoto, 60, who was endorsed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the New Komeito party, independent Toru Unno, 60, and the Japanese Communist Party’s Sadayoshi Hirano, 59, according to the election returns. It is the fourth consecutive victory by a DPJ-backed candidate against an LDP-supported one in local elections, following mayoral polls in Nagoya, Saitama and Chiba.