<figure id="attachment_367769" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-367769" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="cac23d86"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/04/95a25320b5862d03b03f90357bce30b2.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-367769" class="wp-caption-text">Shizuoka Governor Kawakatsu leaves the venue after his resignation press conference on April 3.</figcaption></figure>
 As it turns out, the opening of the linear line will be extremely difficult. Even if Shizuoka Prefecture Governor Heita Kawakatsu resigns. &#8230;&#8230;
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 In his April 1 instruction to newly hired employees, the governor said.
 The prefectural government is a think tank. Unlike selling vegetables, taking care of cows, or making things day in and day out, you are basically people with brains and high intelligence. We need to polish them.
 He said. Criticism poured in, and on the 2nd he suddenly announced that he would resign at the June assembly.
 At a press conference on June 3, he cited two reasons for his resignation: one was his earlier gaffe, and the other was that he had reached a certain point in the linear project. Governor Kawakatsu said
 Governor Kawakatsu said, &#8220;At this stage, the linear project has come to an end, or rather, we have no choice but to stop for a moment. This is a different situation from the past.
 He stated that JR Tokai had given up on the &#8217;27 opening of the Linear Central Shinkansen Line.
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 Businessman Takafumi Horie responded to this in X
 &#8220;Are you saying that you are happy to interfere? It&#8217;s really annoying.
 He was furious in his criticism. Yoichi Takahashi, a former Ministry of Finance bureaucrat, also criticized the decision in his YouTube video, saying, &#8220;The postponement is his fault.
 The postponement is his fault, isn&#8217;t it? When he is gone, at least things will be better than before.
 He was the only one who made a joke of the situation.
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" The prefecture is the home of Ieyasu, and has its own unique character...."></div>
From the perspective of people in other prefectures, this may be true. However, we should not forget that Governor Kawakatsu has continued to win overwhelmingly in prefectural gubernatorial elections except for &#8217;09, when he was first elected. A local media source said
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 In the past, he has ranted that &#8220;the prefectural assembly is full of yakuza and yakuza thugs&#8221; and that &#8220;Gotemba has nothing but Koshihikari rice. Still, if you hold an election, it is a one-sided game. That&#8217;s why he has the support of the people of Shizuoka, and that&#8217;s scary.
 He is frightening. In response to this, Mr. Takahashi said
 I don&#8217;t understand why he was elected. Democracy is democracy, but it is the fault of the people of Shizuoka Prefecture who elected him. It is the fault of Shizuoka Prefecture and the people of Shizuoka Prefecture who chose him.
 Without analyzing the essence of Governor Kawakatsu&#8217;s &#8220;strength,&#8221; it is impossible to overthrow him.
 Journalist Jiro Shimbo has said on his radio and Kansai programs that the majority of Shizuoka Prefecture residents are opposed to the Linear Line project, and that Governor Kawakatsu is &#8220;trying to crush it&#8221; by getting into a huge fight with JR.
 &#8220;They are trying to destroy it,&#8221; he pointed out.
 He pointed out that the majority of Shizuoka Prefecture residents are opposed to the Linear project and that Governor Kawakatsu is &#8220;trying to destroy it&#8221; by getting into a huge fight with JR. The governor cited changes in the quality and supply of the Oigawa River and environmental problems in the Southern Alps as reasons for his opposition to Linear. In addition to this, Mr. Shimbo
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 The main artery that will connect Tokyo with the Chubu and Osaka regions in the future does not run through Shizuoka. Was he uncomfortable with the fact that there is no station there? Or, at the very least, was he being governor in response to public opinion in Shizuoka Prefecture that had that kind of discomfort?&#8221;
 I guessed.
 He then asserted that the next gubernatorial election will favor the &#8220;anti-Linear&#8221; candidate.
 Even if he is not as stubborn as Mr. Kawakatsu, I don&#8217;t think that he will easily support the construction of the construction zone when he looks at public opinion,&#8221; he said.
 He added, &#8220;I don&#8217;t think he would agree to the construction of the construction zone so easily. A media representative from Shizuoka agreed.
 If you think that the linear project will go ahead because Governor Kawakatsu has resigned, you are mistaken. Many people in the prefecture believe that the environmental damage caused by the construction will be great, based on the governor&#8217;s comments so far.
 And even without the linear line, Shizuoka Prefecture is only one hour away from Tokyo and Nagoya by Hikari. It takes two hours to Osaka. I don&#8217;t see the need for it at all. There is also the trauma of Shizuoka Airport, which was built but is too inaccessible.
 Shizuoka Prefecture, the home of Tokugawa Ieyasu, has formed its own community.
 The prefecture is the birthplace of major corporations such as Suzuki and Yamaha, and is home to the Shizutetsu Group, which provides lifelines including railroads, buses, and supermarkets; the Suzuyo Group, a trading company; TOKAI Holdings, which is involved in energy-related businesses; and the Shizuoka Bank and Suruga Bank, which are strong banking institutions. In the banking sector, &#8220;Shizuoka Bank&#8221; and &#8220;Suruga Bank&#8221; are strong.
 In a sense, they are independent. That is why we do not yield to pressure from the national government. The linear project is a de facto national project. What Governor Kawakatsu did well was to create an axis of confrontation with the national government.
 When Governor Kawakatsu makes a speech on the streets, the place is immediately filled with people. Although his latest gaffe was indeed a bit much, &#8220;the audience was very interested in Governor Kawakatsu&#8217;s speech,&#8221; said a media official.
 The audience laughs at Governor Kawakatsu&#8217;s rough language. He is like Taro Aso, the &#8220;king of gaffes&#8221; in the Diet,&#8221; said a local media source.
 The rival camp has been in the race since he resigned in June,
 &#8220;He may run again,&#8221; a local media source said.
 (A local media source). At any rate, the linear transportation issue is likely to continue to be a contentious one.

 Kyodo News

 Heita Kawakatsu, the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, resigned on April 3 after being bashed for his "gaffe. Kawakatsu had been opposed to the construction of the linear motor car, and one would have thought that his resignation would have brought about the construction of the...

Heita Kawakatsu, the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, who resigned after a gaffe, “went all out” in the election.

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