THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
May 25, 2024 at 16:16 JST
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike addresses a May 23 meeting of governors of the Kanto region. (Yuka Honda)
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has confided to her inner circle that she plans to run for a third term this summer.
Koike could make a formal announcement at the start of the Tokyo metropolitan assembly session scheduled for May 29, according to several sources.
They said one scenario being considered is to have several mayors of wards and cities in Tokyo ask Koike, 71, on May 28 to run for a third term. She would then make her intention known the following day at the assembly session, the last before the Tokyo gubernatorial election on July 7.
Getting the word out now is seen as a way to smooth the path ahead of making a formal announcement.
Koike also serves as special adviser to the regional party Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First), which ensures she will have the full backing of the party in the election.
In addition, Komeito, the junior partner in the ruling coalition, has a close relationship with the current Tokyo metropolitan government and is also expected to back Koike.
Even the ruling Liberal Democratic Party might throw its support behind Koike since it has decided not to field its own candidate in the gubernatorial election.
On May 23, the LDP caucus in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly confirmed it would support Koike if she decides to run.
Before becoming Tokyo’s first female governor in 2016, Koike was a Lower House member and served as environment and defense minister.
During her eight years as governor, Koike oversaw the move of the Tsukiji fish market to nearby Toyosu and handled the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Tokyo Olympics, postponed by a year due to COVID-19, also took place on her watch.
The opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Japanese Communist Party are holding talks on backing a unified candidate.
The only other individual who has so far thrown his hat into the ring is Shinji Ishimaru, 41, the mayor of Akitakata, Hiroshima Prefecture.
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