Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike set to win re-election, exit poll shows

Tokyo’s incumbent governor, Yuriko Koike, is projected to win her reelection as head of Japan’s influential capital for a third four-year term, according to exit poll results by the country’s NHK national television.

The vote on Sunday was also seen as a test for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s governing party, which supports the first woman to lead the Tokyo city government.

Tokyo, a city of 13.5 million people with outsized political and cultural power and a budget equalling some nations, is one of Japan’s most influential political posts. A record 55 candidates challenged Koike, and one of the top contenders was also a woman – a liberal-leaning former lawmaker who uses only her first name, Renho, and was backed by opposition parties.

Minutes after the exit poll projecting her victory, Koike showed up at her campaign headquarters in Tokyo and celebrated by thanking the voters who chose her.

“I believe the voters gave me a mandate for my accomplishment in the past eight years,” Koike said. She pledged to push for more reforms and support for Tokyo residents.

“I’m fully aware of my heavy responsibility,” she said. “I will tackle my third term with all my body and soul.”

A win by Koike is a relief for Kishida’s conservative governing party, which she has long been affiliated with. Kishida’s Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, unofficially backed her campaign.

Renho, running as an independent but supported by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Japanese Communist Party, criticised Koike’s connection with Kishida’s party, which has been hit by a widespread slush fund scandal. A victory for Renho would have been a major setback for Kishida’s chances in the party’s