Hiroshi Hase was declared the winner after the dust settled in a crowded Ishikawa governor’s election that split the conservative camp into three groups and drew much attention from ruling Liberal Democratic Party bigwigs.

Hase, a 60-year-old former Lower House member of the LDP, won the post for the first time on March 13, replacing Masanori Tanimoto, who announced last year that he would resign following the completion of his record-setting seventh term as governor.

Five candidates, a record for an Ishikawa gubernatorial election, battled for the post, partly because of disagreements and grudges within the LDP. They all ran as independents.

Hase’s main rivals were Yukiyoshi Yamano, a 59-year-old former mayor of the Ishikawa prefectural capital of Kanazawa, and Shuji Yamada, a 67-year-old former Upper House member of the LDP.

Hase won 196,432 votes, followed by Yamano with 188,450 and Yamada with 172,381.

Voter turnout was 61.82 percent, a significant jump from 39.07 percent in the previous gubernatorial election.

Around 12:10 a.m. on March 14, just after being informed that he had secured victory, a teary-eyed Hase told his supporters at a hotel in Kanazawa: “I have just followed the path I’ve chosen for myself. People said this election was effectively a three-way battle, but I just want to say thank-you to Mr. Yamada and Mr. Yamano.”

He said he is committed to strive as Tanimoto’s successor now that the people have chosen him as their governor. But he indicated that any ill-feelings from the election should be dealt with first.

“I believe that it is sensible for us to try to mend our relationships with Mr. Yamada and Mr. Yamano,” Hase said.

When reporters asked Hase, a former high school teacher of Japanese, to express his feelings in a haiku, he recited, “Let’s move forward/ Ishikawa in spring/ toward a new era.”

Bitter feelings emerged in this election, and not necessarily between the candidates.

Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who won his first Lower House seat in 1969 in the Ishikawa No. 1 district, had held a grudge against Tanimoto since he was elected governor for the first time in 1994. Tanimoto had defeated a candidate backed by Mori.

Some in the LDP felt that Mori had forced Tanimoto to resign, so they declined to support Hase after Mori expressed support for his candidacy.

The LDP’s prefectural chapter ended up backing both Hase and Yamada, and letting its members to vote as they like.

But Yamano, also a former LDP member, joined the election, splitting the conservative camp into three groups.

Komeito, the LDP’s junior coalition partner, also allowed its members to decide on their own how to vote.

Hase was backed by opposition Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), a rising conservative force based in Osaka, in the election.

During the campaign, Hase stressed his 26-year experience as a Diet member, including a stint as education minister, and promised to strike a balance between tackling COVID-19 and reviving the prefecture’s economy.

Hase attracted a wide range of voters by also emphasizing his connections with Nagatacho, Japan’s political center in Tokyo.

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi both rushed to Ishikawa Prefecture to support Hase’s candidacy.

Yamano also stressed his experience as Kanazawa mayor for 11 years over three terms. He vowed to govern the prefecture with his “abilities to perform practical tasks, deal with issues quickly and hold dialogues with the people.”

He also promised to cooperate more with other local authorities in tackling COVID-19 and reviving the prefecture’s economy.

However, his promises were not enough to secure victory.

Yamada was backed by non-LDP and non-communist camps, including the Ishikawa prefectural branches of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Social Democratic Party, as well as the Japanese Trade Union Confederation Ishikawa.

He focused on the Noto and Kaga areas, where many people work in primary industries, and emphasized his experience as an official, including a vice minister, at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

He also fell short on election day.

Hiroko Iimori, 62, a candidate backed by the Japanese Communist Party, promised to reform the prefectural administration. She also cited policies, such as expanding welfare services, in her vows to “protect children’s futures, people’s lives and health, as well as the economy and daily lives.”

Former company employee, Haruo Okano, 71, fought in the election by stressing his commitment to solve environmental problems.