Japan voters' panel: Mikiko Maedomari

I voted for the man who opposed Koizumi - but he lost.

MEET THE PANEL
Name: Mikiko Maedomari
Age: 28
Lives: Ishigaki, Okinawa
Works: Teacher
Voted: Independent

In my area, a man who supported Koizumi won the election.

There were four candidates and he was the only one who supported the Prime Minster.

I certainly didn't vote for him and I am not very happy with this result.

I always thought this shouldn't have been a single issue election.

In fact, the candidate who won made a speech in Ishigaki recently. He did not once mention postal reform or the whole post office issue.

What he talked about were the issues that mattered to Okinawans. He talked about farmers and agricultural issues. He talked about a new airport. He said he would work for these local issues.

There are many other issues for us in Okinawa too. We have an American base problem. It's quite unpopular here because of the noise and other controversies.

I've felt that throughout this election the prime minister has set people against each another. He wants to make massive changes when what we want here are smaller steps that make a difference to our lives.

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