TOKYO GOV WINS ANEW, FACES ISSUES LIKE PANDEMIC, DELAYED OLYMPICS

Millions of voters in Tokyo handed incumbent Governor Yuriko Koike a second term on Sunday according to early results, apparently trusting her to tackle the Japanese capital's coronavirus outbreak and deliver the delayed Olympic Games next year, Takehiko Kambayashi wrote for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) late on July 5, 2020.

The first results and exit polls showed Koike, a former defense minister who became the first woman to lead the Japanese capital four years ago, with about 60 per cent of the vote - far ahead of any of the other 21 candidates.

“I’m very pleased to receive strong support from Tokyo residents and at the same time I feel great responsibility for a very important second term,” Koike said after exit poll results were announced. The 67-year-old said the top priority for Tokyo would be dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

The vote was accompanied by strict social distancing measures amid a spike in new coronavirus infections - topping 100 cases for the fourth day in a row on Sunday. Koike added that Tokyo would establish an organization equivalent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prepare for another wave of infections.