TOKYO: Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike declared victory in Sunday’s (Jul 7) vote to elect the leader of one of the world’s most populous cities after Japanese media said exit polls showed her winning in a landslide.
Koike, 71, a former minister and television anchor, has been Tokyo governor since 2016 and immediately vowed to strengthen the Japanese capital’s welfare, economy, and management of natural disasters.
Exit polls by public broadcaster NHK and other media after voting stations closed at 8pm (7pm, Singapore time) showed Koike had shrugged off challenges from a wide range of candidates.
Among her most prominent challengers had been another woman running in Japan’s male-dominated political sphere, the 56-year-old former opposition lawmaker, model and TV anchor Renho, who goes by one name.
“With Tokyoites’ strong support, I was assigned to lead this great city Tokyo,” Koike told her supporters after exit polls showed she had won her third term as governor of the megacity of 14 million people.
“Today Japan and Tokyo face various challenges”, such as inflation and the low birth rate, Koike said.
“I have to upgrade efforts of Tokyo’s reforms, and as I appealed in my election campaign, I will protect Tokyo residents’ lives and livelihoods,” she said.
