Whether Tokyo should still seek to host the delayed Olympics and Paralympics and the capital's response to the COVID-19 pandemic are the two major issues dividing contenders in the Tokyo gubernatorial race, which kicked off campaigning on June 18.

Among the leading candidates running in the July 5 election are incumbent Yuriko Koike; Kenji Utsunomiya, former chief of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations; Taro Yamamoto, head of the Reiwa Shinsengumi political party; Taisuke Ono, former vice governor of Kumamoto Prefecture; and Takashi Tachibana, who heads NHK Kara Kokumin wo Mamoru To (Party to protect the public from NHK). NHK stands for the Japan Broadcasting Corp., a public broadcaster.

A record 22 candidates, including the five, entered the race, one more than the previous election in 2016, by the 5 p.m. deadline for registering their candidacies, according to the Tokyo Election Administration Commission.

Koike on June 18 appealed to voters by releasing a statement on her official website that said she would continue to perform her official duties during the campaign with her top priority dealing with the COVID-19 health crisis.

Rival candidates, however, were out in force on the streets of the capital's Shinjuku Ward, where the metropolitan government complex is located, discussing their policy measures before mask-clad voters.

A June 17 online news conference organized by the National Press Club showed candidates sharply divided over what to do with the Olympics and Paralympics and how to cope with the pandemic.

The Olympics and Paralympics were postponed by one year to July and August 2021, respectively, as many countries were forced to battle the fast-spreading virus.

But the postponement will mean increasing Tokyo's financial burden as it is expected to shell out a large chunk of the additional cost of hosting the rescheduled events, estimated at hundreds of billions of yen.

The International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee have called for curtailing costs and streamlining events to make the sporting extravaganza more achievable.

But the big question remains: Can the world bring the pandemic under control early enough to allow Tokyo to hold the rescheduled Games?

Yamamoto, 45, an actor-turned-politician, doesn't think so. He said the two events should be canceled.

"No magic bullets or vaccines are available to treat the disease,” Yamamoto said at the online news conference. “Officials should convey to the IOC that they do not believe that Tokyo can host the events safely.”

Utsunomiya, 73, said the opinions of experts on infectious diseases should be respected when the capital weighs its options.

“Tokyo should propose cancellation to the IOC if the experts deem the events impossible to open,” he said.

Utsunomiya also said funds that will be saved by calling off the Olympics and Paralympics should be diverted to assist Tokyo residents hard-hit by the health crisis.

Ono proposed a delay of the sports events to 2024, while Tachibana floated delaying them until either 2022 or 2024.

“The contagion will continue to spread in countries where public hygiene is poor,” said Ono, 46. “I have an extremely pessimistic view on the extent of the pandemic a year from now.”

Tachibana said Tokyo should work to get the IOC to decide another postponement.

“That will lead the IOC to have no choice but to pick up the tab,” he said.

Koike, 67, reiterated Tokyo’s stance to host the Olympics and Paralympics next summer.

“We will proceed with preparations by working on measures to streamline and reduce the cost of events so as to gain understanding from residents and the general public,” she said.

Koike, who is seeking her second four-year term as governor, noted that a host of additional challenges have emerged for Tokyo since COVID-19 swept across the world.

“We need to tackle such questions as how to screen out potential virus carriers at airports and ports and how to ensure the security and safety of the Olympic Village and spectators,” she said. “But we are determined to present a new Olympics and Paralympics.”

The candidates also differed on measures to control the pandemic.

Koike called for the establishment of a Tokyo version of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which leads efforts to contain infectious diseases as part of the U.S. government.

She also underscored the importance of closely working with hospitals and accurately grasping information on COVID-19 patients.

Utsunomiya called for providing full relief to individuals and businesses that were financially battered after they were forced to shut down at the request of the metropolitan government.

"I want to protect the lives and livelihoods of each Tokyo resident," he said.

Yamamoto suggested giving 100,000 yen ($925) to all Tokyo residents as relief aid by issuing metropolitan government bonds to raise funding for the program.

“Tokyo is an extremely affluent local government,” he said. “It is well-positioned to raise money.”

Ono said Tokyo should focus its efforts to curb the spread of the virus in high-risk areas, noting that new cases have been reported at establishments in the Kabukicho red-light district in Shinjuku Ward.

Tachibana blasted the metropolitan government’s requests for businesses to shut down and residents to stay home as “going too far.”

He said Tokyo officials should urge only people believed at risk of developing severe cases of COVID-19 to stay home, not all residents across the board.