Yuriko Koike touted Tokyo’s initiatives under her leadership to tackle major issues facing Japan, such as the falling birthrate. - Bloomberg
TOKYO: Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she would run for a third straight term as leader of the Japanese capital, setting up an unprecedented race between two women for one of the highest-profile positions in the country’s politics.
Koike made the announcement at a metropolitan assembly meeting on Wednesday (June 12), just over a week before official campaigning begins for the July 7 vote. She touted Tokyo’s initiatives under her leadership to tackle major issues facing Japan, such as the falling birthrate, the advancement of women and digitalization.
"We must not stop now the strong progress toward a sustainable society, which can only be achieved through the bold reform of Tokyo,” she said.
"The people of Tokyo come first, and I want to make Tokyo a better place for the people of Tokyo.”
Her move comes after opposition Constitutional Democratic Party lawmaker Renho Saito threw her hat into the ring last month, vowing to "reset” Tokyo politics and use the post to oppose Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s struggling Liberal Democratic Party.
A victory for Koike would likely be a relief for the ruling party, of which she was previously a member. A loss to the opposition - following on from a series of special election defeats - would further underscore Kishida’s woes after support for his cabinet fell to a fresh low in a major poll at the weekend.
The first woman to serve as leader of Tokyo’s 14-million strong population, Koike is known for smashing a series of glass ceilings in Japanese politics. She was also the first woman to run for the leadership of the LDP.
Koike gave up a seat in parliament to launch her successful first run for governor in 2016 and sailed to a second term in office in 2020, guiding the capital through the pandemic, during which Tokyo hosted the Summer Olympics.
She’s struggled with efforts to bolster the city’s status as a global financial centre and counter its low fertility rate - the latest plan being a dating app meant to encourage young people to get married.
Koike on Wednesday said her efforts to tackle the low fertility rate "have even moved the national government to take action.”
Renho, who generally goes by her given name, is known for her attacks on wasteful public spending as well as her combative style in parliament. She served in various ministerial positions during the 2009-2012 administration of the now defunct Democratic Party and became party leader in 2016. She stepped down the following year in the wake of a local election defeat.
The two women - both former TV presenters - are the best-known of a slate that the Tokyo Shimbun and other domestic media say is likely to extend to more than 20 candidates. - Bloomberg
