Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike was re-elected to her second four-year term in the gubernatorial election held on July 5 amid growing concerns about an uptick in new COVID-19 cases in the capital.

Koike emerged victorious in a race that did not stir much excitement among voters as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party gave up running its own candidate while opposition parties failed to agree on a challenger to the incumbent.

Moreover, safety concerns forced low-key campaigns with voluntary restrictions on stumping and other public activities.

Despite her landslide victory, Koike will find the political climate surrounding her second term much more challenging than when her first started four years ago amid strong public expectations for reform raised by her bitter criticism of the LDP's Tokyo branch as a "blackbox."

Koike will have to make steady and strenuous efforts to tackle a raft of sticky policy challenges while placing the top priority on protecting the lives, health and livelihoods of citizens in the capital.

Koike is known to have made sweet promises and coined catchy phrases. More often than not, however, she has failed to take effective follow-up actions, as is the case with Tokyo's troubled project to move the Tsukiji fish market to Toyosu. Obviously, she should break with this past.

The biggest policy challenge confronting the governor is, needless to say, the persistent threat posed by the new coronavirus.

The metropolitan government has yet to announce a solid strategy for responding to a rebound in new cases in the capital.

What is especially disquieting for citizens is the growing number of people testing positive with no known link to a confirmed case and the metropolitan government's apparent inability to develop a clear game plan to tackle this situation.

The "Tokyo Alert," Koike's catchily named, headline-grabbing initiative, has fizzled out and faded into obscurity.

Almost all she is doing now is asking citizens to take steps to protect their own safety. This is not a way to allay anxiety among people.

During her campaign, Koike proposed creating a Tokyo version of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While she has said the new body will serve as a center for communication and cooperation between medical institutions and municipalities, details remain unclear.

In one beneficial policy action she took late in her first term, Koike launched a program to provide financial relief to businesses if they suspend operations in response to the local government's request. Her initiative prompted the central government to support the proposal.

But the metropolitan government is facing a fiscal squeeze due to massive spending to mitigate the economic impact of the outbreak.

She should make it clear through a detailed explanation what kind of additional measures she will take if the number of new cases continues rising.

Another big question for the chief of the capital's government will be whether and how the postponed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics should be held.

Koike has promised to scale down the event and cut costs if it is held next year as planned. But she has yet to lay out a clear vision about how things will actually shape up.

It is her duty as governor to act swiftly to hold discussions with people and organizations involved and clarify the pros and cons of holding the event as planned to give the public in Tokyo enough information to think about the issue.

Even if the Olympics is held, the mammoth sporting event will not be a success if it fails to meet people's expectations and leaves the disappointing feeling of, "This is not what was supposed to happen."

The pandemic has underscored afresh the serious risks stemming from the concentration of everything in Tokyo. Koike is pursuing a policy agenda designed to boost the city's "power to earn money," featuring efforts to raise its profile as an international financial hub.

But the question she has to address from a fundamental perspective is whether Tokyo's continued expansion will be good for the capital itself and this nation as a whole.

That is all the more important given the feared possibility of a major earthquake occurring directly below the metropolitan area.

Asked about her disaster prevention and mitigation policy, Koike said it is the responsibility of a political leader to take all possible steps while keeping all possible risks in mind.

That is what a leader should do not just with regard to disaster management but in all policy areas.

Koike's second term will be a test of her commitment and ability to put these words into action for tangible achievements.

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 6