Tokyo's governor election race kicks off amid political distrust

TOKYO --  A campaign to elect the next governor of Tokyo, one of the world's most populous capitals, began on Thursday, kicking off a race between the city's first female governor and a prominent female politician from Japan's opposition.

Incumbent Gov. Yuriko Koike, supported by the Tokyo chapter of the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, is competing for a third term against Renho Saito, an outspoken former lawmaker backed by the Constitutional Democratic Party and other opposition groups. Voting will take place on July 7.