1.Incumbent Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike was reelected in Sunday’s gubernatorial election with the effective backing of the ruling party, signaling that voters have positively evaluated her policies centered on quality of life and political competence over the past eight years.
2.Koike, 71, secured a third consecutive four-year term, defeating Shinji Ishimaru, a 41-year-old social media-savvy former mayor from Hiroshima Prefecture, who closely contested second place with Renho, a 56-year-old former lawmaker backed by the main opposition party.
3.The election was initially expected to be a neck-and-neck race between Koike and Renho, both former TV anchors. However, Ishimaru, relatively unknown in Tokyo before the official campaign began, significantly boosted his profile by expanding his election activities through social media.
4.Ishimaru apparently garnered popularity from voters with no particular party affiliation as a recent political funds scandal eroded trust in politics, but it was not enough to catch up with Koike. After the polls closed, he spoke before a group of supporters and said, “I did all I could.”
5.Sunday’s election was closely watched as the outcome could affect the future course of national politics, with the Liberal Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, under heavy scrutiny amid the slush funds scandal revealed late last year.
6.The race was also seen as a proxy war between national parties as the conservative incumbent was challenged by the left-leaning opposition politician, while the election was criticized for prioritizing popularity over policies due largely to swing voters.
7.In 2024, a record 56 people, including former Air Self-Defense Force chief Toshio Tamogami, 75, threw their hats into the ring. According to political pundits, many candidates entered the race solely to gain fame through campaign broadcasts and posters.
8.Some candidates in Tokyo’s gubernatorial race were criticized for making a mockery of the electoral process by posting sexually explicit posters or covering large parts of official campaigning boards with their materials, with some groups obstructing the election campaigns of others.
9.Koike told her supporters on Sunday, “I received threats and heckling. It was the toughest election campaign I have ever experienced,” emphasizing the necessity of amending legislation related to the electoral system.
