Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike was yesterday projected to win re-election as head of Japan’s influential capital for a third four-year term, according to exit poll results by Japan Broadcasting Corp (NHK).
Yesterday’s vote was also seen as a test for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which supports the first woman to lead the Tokyo city government.
The city of 13.5 million people with outsized political and cultural power, and a budget equaling some nations, is one of Japan’s most influential political posts.
Photo: AP
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.
Renho was born to a Japanese mother and Taiwanese father.
Minutes after the NHK exit poll projecting her victory, Koike arrived at her campaign headquarters in Tokyo and celebrated by thanking the voters who chose her.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“I believe the voters gave me a mandate for my accomplishment in the past eight years,” Koike said, pledging 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 would be a relief for the LDP, which she has long been affiliated with. The 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, criticized Koike’s connection with the LDP, 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 leadership vote in September.
While the two high-profile women gathered national attention, Shinji Ishimaru, a former mayor of Akitakata in Hiroshima Prefecture, was seen to have gained popularity among young voters.
The main issues in the campaign included measures for the economy, disaster resilience for Tokyo and low birth numbers.
Koike’s policies focused on providing subsidies for married parents expecting babies and those raising children.
Renho called for increased support for young people to address their concerns about jobs and financial stability, saying that would help improve prospects for marrying and having families.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese