Koike re-elected as Tokyo governor, vows to step up virus fight

TOKYO, July 6 Kyodo - Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike won a second term Sunday in a landslide election victory, vowing to "respond firmly" to a possible second wave of the novel coronavirus epidemic as the number of new cases rises again in the capital, topping 100 in recent days. With all ballots counted, she received about 3.66 million votes, the second most on record following some 4.33 million votes gained by Naoki Inose in the 2012 gubernatorial race, despite running without the support of any party. "I am very happy, and simultaneously feel a heavy responsibility," Koike, 67, said in televised remarks Sunday after early returns suggested she was on course for victory by a large margin. But Koike, who became the first female governor of the Japanese capital in 2016 after serving as defense minister and environment minister, said her happiness was tempered by the fact that Tokyo remains in the throes of the coronavirus epidemic. "This is an important time to prepare for a second wave of the coronavirus. We want to be able to respond to it firmly," she said. Koike, who ran as an independent, beat 21 challengers, including Kenji Utsunomiya, 73, a former head of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, Taro Yamamoto, 45, a former actor and leader of the anti-establishment party Reiwa Shinsengumi, and Taisuke Ono, 46, a former vice governor of Kumamoto Prefecture. Voter turnout was 55.0 percent, down 4.73 percentage points from the last election in July 2016. Koike's coronavirus response seemed to have given her a boost, with 60.7 percent of voters assessing it favorably, according to Kyodo News exit polls. Her popularity had risen in the last few months on her implementation of measures to curb infections in the capital, such as stay-at-home and business suspension requests, which seemed to mitigate the number of cases for a period. Tokyo has reported more than 6,700 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, accounting for about a third of the more than 20,000 cases in Japan. As for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic, Koike pledged to coordinate with the International Olympic Committee, taking into consideration the virus situations in participating countries and policies of sports organizations. Utsunomiya came second with 844,151 votes, followed by Yamamoto with 657,277 votes and Ono with 612,530 votes. Split votes among the fractured opposition apparently aided Koike, with an attempt to unite behind one of her challengers falling through. "I very much regret (the outcome). I wish I could have responded to the expectations of many Tokyo residents," said Utsunomiya, who was backed by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and two other opposition parties. Acknowledging defeat, Yamamoto compared Koike to a towering mountain. "Mt. Yuriko was strong and very high," he said. In an unusual move that illustrates Koike's electoral strength, the local branch of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party did not field a candidate and told members to vote freely, although some vocally supported her. The COVID-19 pandemic forced candidates to shift a large portion of campaigning online, including debates between candidates. Koike chose to campaign solely online, pledging to put Tokyoites first and continue with her reforms for the capital. Since the government lifted the state of emergency in late May and the Tokyo metropolitan government allowed businesses to fully resume on June 19, daily coronavirus cases in Tokyo have rebounded. Sunday's tally of 111 compared with a peak of 206 for the capital on April 17. ==Kyodo