Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is set to win a third term according to exit polls.
The 71-year-old, who became Tokyo’s first female governor in 2016, will continue for another four years. Her victory supports Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his party, who backed her.
Koike’s time as governor included managing the COVID-19 pandemic and the delayed 2021 Summer Olympics.
The election focused on Tokyo’s low birth rate and digital transformation. Despite scandals and unfulfilled promises, she remains popular.
Unexpectedly, Shinji Ishimaru, a former mayor and independent candidate, placed second, ahead of Renho Saito, supported by the opposition. Ishimaru gained support from young voters through social media.
Koike started as a journalist before entering politics in the early 1990s. She won the governorship in 2016 with strong support, despite not being the official candidate of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
She later founded her own party but retained LDP support.
Tokyo voters had 56 candidates to choose from, with Renho Saito initially expected to be Koike’s main opponent. Saito, who left her party to run, lost her Upper House seat.
The election was seen as a proxy war between national parties amid economic challenges in Japan.
For more details, you can read the original report by BBC.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqv5gjjw20zo