Yutaka Nose secured his fourth term as mayor of Takahama in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, on Sunday even though his town has been embroiled in a bribery scandal involving a former deputy mayor and Kansai Electric Power Co.

Nose, 59, who was first elected mayor in 2008 following time spent as a town assembly member, beat fellow independent and former prefectural assemblyman Akihiro Ichise, 62.

A key focus of the election was restoration of the town's administration following the scandal that came to light last September, in which the late former deputy mayor, Eiji Moriyama, was found to have bribed executives and employees of Kansai Electric to ensure companies connected to him received construction and other work contracts at the Takahama nuclear plant.

As both Nose and Ichise are supportive of Takahama coexisting with the plant, restarting its No. 1 and No. 2 reactors, both of which are over 40 years old, was not a point of contention during the election campaign.

Nose touted his 12-year experience as mayor during the campaign, while Ichise expressed his intention to enhance support for the elderly as well as those raising children.

A third-party investigation found that over the course of more than three decades beginning in 1987, Moriyama handed out a total of 360 million yen ($3.3 million) in cash and gifts, including clothing vouchers and sumo tickets, to 75 people.

Nose and other Takahama town officials were also found to have exchanged mid-year gifts with Moriyama.

The top three executives of Kansai Electric have stepped down to take responsibility for the scandal.

==Kyodo

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