Voters in Tokyo cast ballots Sunday to decide whether to reelect conservative Yuriko Koike as governor of Japan’s influential capital for a third four-year term.
The vote was also seen as a test for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s governing party, which supports the incumbent, the first woman to lead the Tokyo city government.
Tokyo, a city of 13.5 million people with outsized political and cultural power and a budget equaling some nations, is one of Japan’s most influential political posts.
A record 55 candidates challenged Koike, and one of the top contenders was also a woman — a liberal-leaning former parliament member who uses only her first name, Renho, and was backed by opposition parties.
A win by Koike would be a relief for Kishia’s conservative governing party, which she has long been affiliated with. Kishida’s Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, unofficially backed her campaign.
Renho, running as an independent but supported by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Japanese Communist Party, slammed Koike’s connection with Kishida’s party, which has been hit by a widespread slush fund scandal. A victory for Renho would be a major setback for Kishida’s chances in the governing party's leadership vote in September.
While the two high-profile women gathered national attention, Shinji Ishimaru, a former mayor of Akitakata town in Hiroshima, was seen to have gained popularity among young voters.
The main issues in the campaign included measures for the economy, disaster resilience for Tokyo and low birth numbers. When Japan’s national fertility rate fell to a record low 1.2 babies per woman last year, Tokyo's 0.99 rate was the lowest for the country.
Koike’s policies focused on providing subsidies for married parents expecting babies and those raising children. Renho called for increased support for young people to address their concerns about jobs and financial stability, arguing that would help improve prospects for marrying and having families.
Another focus of attention was a controversial redevelopment of Tokyo’s beloved park area, Jingu Gaien, which Koike approved but later faced criticisms over its lack of transparency and suspected environmental impact.
Koike, a stylish and media savvy former TV newscaster, was first elected to parliament in 1992 at age 40. She served in a number of key Cabinet posts, including environment and defense ministers, as part of the long-reining Liberal Democratic Party.
Renho, known for voicing sharp questions in parliament, was born to a Japanese mother and Taiwanese father and doesn't use her family name. A former model and newscaster, she was elected to parliament in 2004 and served as administrative reform minister in the government led by the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan.
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17 Comments
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WoodyLee
Nice to see people take the kids to a voting center., start the as early as possible and Keep the flames of Democracy burning.
So comforting.
Tim Sullivan
Koike is projected to win a third term, according to NHK -- what a surprise. Anyone who wants change in this country had better emigrate.
nonu6976
Polls closed 8pm. NHK announced she won 8:01pm.
Ben Bumphart
I wanted Dr Nakamats to win.
Quo Primum
Roger Gusain
Another four years of ... nothing. Apart from more tourists.
Quo Primum
Interesting how the media have been slobbering all over this supposed women‘s race - but Renho didn't even come in 2nd.
A man did.
dougthehead13
I'm watching TBS live, from home. And so far only the NHK exit poll is coming out.
I ask you to be calm, because the polling stations have just closed and there will be no final results until 11:00 PM.
garymalmgren
33% turnout.
Over 50 candidates.
A majority could easily be 5% of the eligible voters.
wolfshine
Darn shame. Renho was awesome and it's obvious from her rallies she was truly galvanizing young people. But this is not a battle that can be won. Just look at the demographics of Tokyo - people over the age of 65 made up around 1/4th of the population in 2010, and most likely that figure has only increased.
This election felt like a spiteful lashing of the youth by the elderly. Despite how poorly the LDP has run Japan and how poorly Koike has run Tokyo, the seniors still had to remind those below them of their place in society. Their insistence on continuing to enforce cultural norms this way amounts to fanaticism; they don't care what kind of country this will be after they are gone, so long as they can save face now.
Japanese children are better off exclusively grinding their English studies above all else, and trying to get into foreign schools/companies as soon as they get the chance. No one wants them to know this, but it is the truth. They have no future here, and pretty all foreigners I talk to are miserable as well.
As an American, if they want to immigrate to the states, we will welcome them with open arms. Because we recognize their strength and intelligence as individuals, not as components of some collectivist monstrosity.
owzer
Don't care who wins. I just want everybody to have a good time!
Ben Bumphart
Despite how poorly the LDP has run Japan and how poorly Koike has run Tokyo
She is Ishihara in a skirt. Put some of my favorite bars out of business with those stupid COVID rules.
4123
Present Tokyo governor Koike is neo-liberalism far-right, not even conservative.
Kurumazaka 2
Yay, 4 more years of public parks being sold off to developers who just happen to hire Yuriko’s people who decend from heaven!
can you say Yoyogi Midtown? How about Kiba Midtown?
TokyoLiving
Lady Koike won...
Good for Tokyo...
DanteKH
Looks like nobody in Japan wants a change for the better...
Those elections were the most useless event this weekend.
Unfortunately another 4 years wasted for the future of Japan.
I guess some things never change in Japan...
kibousha
There's nothing "conservative" about Koike, nor the LDP. Bunch of neocons in bed with big corporations, quietly flooding the country with immigrations for cheap labors.