Voters in the Japanese capital elected their first woman governor after two predecessors stepped down over scandals that clouded the city’s preparations to host the 2020 summer Olympic Games.
Yuriko Koike (64), Japan’s first female defence minister, beat former bureaucrat and fellow member of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s party Hiroya Masuda, as well as liberal journalist Shuntaro Torigoe, according to an exit poll by public broadcaster NHK.
The sprawling city of some 13.5 million people faces a plethora of problems such as an ageing population, daycare shortage, and the ever-present possibility of a big earthquake.
But a big issue in the campaign was the 2020 Olympics, which Japan hopes will spur its economy, struggling to escape decades of deflation. After the resignations of the city’s two previous governors, Koike will be responsible for saving Tokyo’s reputation as a host for the games.