千葉知事に熊谷氏初当選　自民推薦候補ら７新人破る

　任期満了に伴う千葉県知事選が２１日投開票され、無所属新人で前千葉市長の熊谷俊人氏（４３）が、前県議の関政幸氏（４１）＝自民推薦＝、元予備校講師の金光理恵氏（５７）＝共産推薦＝ら新人７人を破り、初当選を果たした。投票率は３８．９９％で、前回（３１．１８％）を上回った。
　現職の森田健作氏の引退に伴い、１２年ぶりの新人同士の争いになった。熊谷氏は、新型コロナウイルス対策で病床確保やＰＣＲ検査の徹底などを訴え、災害対策強化もアピール。幅広い支持を得た。立憲民主、日本維新の会、国民民主、社民の各党県組織のほか、自民党と公明党の一部国会議員も支援した。
　関氏は与党とのパイプを強調し、森田県政の継承や給食費無料化などを訴えたが、知名度不足に苦しんだ。金光氏はジェンダー平等などをアピールしたが、支持は広がらなかった。
　知事選では元県立高校長の皆川真一郎氏（６６）、政治団体代表の平塚正幸氏（３９）、医師の加藤健一郎氏（７１）、会社経営の河合悠祐氏（４０）、自営業の後藤輝樹氏（３８）も独自の政策を訴えたが、浸透しなかった。（2021/03/22-01:45）

Former Chiba Mayor Toshihito Kumagai won his first term as governor of Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, in Sunday's election, defeating seven other candidates.
   This was the first Chiba gubernatorial election in 12 years that was not joined by an incumbent. Current Chiba Governor Kensaku Morita, who is in his third four-year term, has announced a decision to retire. His current term is set to end in early April.
   During his campaign, Kumagai, 43, pledged to enhance measures in response to the novel coronavirus crisis, such as increasing hospital beds and thoroughly conducting polymerase chain reaction tests, and to beef up disaster management steps.
   He obtained broad-based support, including from the Chiba prefectural chapters of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), the Democratic Party for the People and the Social Democratic Party, all opposition parties in national politics, and some lawmakers of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito.
   Kumagai quit as mayor of the city of Chiba, the capital of the prefecture, earlier this month, during his third term as head of the city, in order to run in the gubernatorial election. He was elected Chiba mayor for the first time in June 2009, after working as a corporate employee and a member of the Chiba city assembly.