A gubernatorial election was held on 10 December 1978 to elect the Governor of
Okinawa (山口県, Okinawa-ken), who is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of
Japan.
The gubernatorial election was held because
Kōichi Taira, who was first elected in the 1976 election, collapsed from a cerebral thrombosis and resigned as governor in November 1978.
Candidates
Chibana Hideo, 69, endorsed by the union of the left (Progress and Unity), including the
OSMP,
JSP and
JCP.