Wakayama Gov. Kishimoto dies at 68
Shuhei Kishimoto, the governor of Wakayama Prefecture, died of septic shock at a hospital in the city of Wakayama on Tuesday morning. He was 68.
According to the prefectural government, Kishimoto received treatment at the hospital after he was found collapsed in his bedroom around 10:15 a.m. Monday by officials who went to his official residence in the city to check on him as they could not reach him.
The governor visited the 2025 World Exposition in the city of Osaka on Sunday.
Kishimoto, a native of the city of Wakayama, was first elected to the Lower House in 2009 after serving as head of a Finance Ministry division. As a lawmaker, he took such key posts as parliamentary vice minister of economy, trade and industry.
He resigned as a Lower House member during his fifth term to run in the 2022 Wakayama gubernatorial election. He won the election with endorsements from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, as well as the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People, and was serving his first term as governor until his death.
The public offices election law stipulates that in the event of the death of a governor, a gubernatorial election shall be held within 50 days of the notification of the death to the prefectural election commission. Deputy Gov. Izumi Miyazaki will perform the governor's duties for the time being.
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