Japan maglev critic reelected in Shizuoka, claiming green mandate

SHIZUOKA, Japan/NAGOYA, Japan/TOKYO -- A Japanese governor whose environmental concerns have held up construction on a segment of ultrahigh-speed-rail project worth more than $60 billion won reelection Sunday, securing a fourth term.

Heita Kawakatsu, who ran as an independent, defeated a challenger backed by Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Shizuoka Prefecture, home to the most-photographed face of Mount Fuji southwest of Tokyo.