吉村氏が女性最多の５選　無所属新人破る―山形知事選

　任期満了に伴う山形県知事選は２６日投開票され、無所属現職の吉村美栄子氏（７３）が、無所属新人で自営業の金山屯氏（８４）を破り、５選を果たした。全国知事会によると、これまで女性知事の最多当選は吉村氏と前北海道知事の高橋はるみ氏の４回だったが、最多を更新した。投票率は過去最低の３９．６７％。
　吉村氏は、立憲民主、国民民主、共産各党の県組織に加え、２０２１年の前回知事選で対立候補を擁立した自民党県連からも今回初めて支援を受け、幅広い支持を集めた。金山氏は、ＬＧＢＴなど性的少数者のカップルを公的に認める「パートナーシップ宣誓制度」の廃止などを訴えたが、及ばなかった。（2025/01/26-23:19）

Mieko Yoshimura won a fifth four-year term as governor of Yamagata Prefecture, northeastern Japan, in an election on Sunday.
   Yoshimura, a 73-year-old independent, became the first woman in Japan to be elected prefectural governor for five or more consecutive terms, according to the National Governors' Association.
   She defeated Jun Kanayama, an 84-year-old independent and her sole rival in the gubernatorial race.
   Yoshimura drew broad-based support from voters as she was backed by prefectural chapters of the Liberal Democratic Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People and the Japanese Communist Party.
   In the central prefecture of Gifu, Yoshihide Esaki, a 60-year-old independent, was elected governor for the first time.