Photo/Illutration Taro Yamamoto, head of the Reiwa Shinsengumi political party, speaks to reporters in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on June 11. (Hiroki Koizumi)

Taro Yamamoto, head of the Reiwa Shinsengumi political party, announced his candidacy for the Tokyo governor’s election on June 15, drawing groans from opposition parties seeking to unseat the incumbent.

“I will raise the level of people’s lives,” Yamamoto, 45, said at a news conference held at the Diet, referring to the struggles of the public in the capital in coping with the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Yamamoto also said he will address the issue of what to do with the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as promote his pet project, reducing the consumption tax rate, during the campaign.

Official campaigning for the gubernational election will start on June 18, and votes will be cast and counted on July 5.

Governor Yuriko Koike, 67, announced that she will seek a second term on June 12.

Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, has indicated the party will support Koike’s re-election bid, even though she has not requested help from her former party.

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party are expected to back Kenji Utsunomiya, a 73-year-old former head of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations.

Yamamoto’s entry into the race has stirred concerns among opposition party lawmakers who fear he will draw anti-Koike votes away from Utsunomiya.

Yamamoto led the newly founded Reiwa Shinsengumi in the Upper House election last summer, and two Reiwa members won seats in proportional representation constituencies.

Due to Yamamoto’s name recognition and appeal among unaffiliated voters, some opposition lawmakers, including those in the CDP, had hoped to field him in the gubernatorial election.

Yamamoto had maintained a cautious stance about entering the race, even after his party held a general meeting on June 11 to discuss his possible candidacy.

Following the meeting, Yamamoto told reporters: “I will make a decision by June 18. It’s still a fifty-fifty.”

Taisuke Ono, 46, a former vice governor of Kumamoto Prefecture, has announced he will run as an independent in the Tokyo election. He has been endorsed by Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party).

Takashi Tachibana, 52, a former Upper House member who has railed against public broadcaster Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK), has also declared his candidacy. He heads NHK Kara Kokumin wo Mamoru To (Party to protect the public from NHK).

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