Less than a week remains until the capital’s gubernatorial election on July 5, and it appears the incumbent’s strategy — taking advantage of her popularity by running a defensive campaign — is working.
Polling data released by multiple sources over the weekend showed Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike leading the race by a large margin. She commands strong support not only among voters aligned with the ruling bloc but opposition parties as well, according to the data, leaving trailing candidates to vie for what’s left.
In a survey conducted by Kyodo News, Koike had the support of 70 percent of voters aligned with the Liberal Democratic Party and 90 percent of those aligned with Komeito, which together form a ruling coalition in the national Diet.
Even members of the LDP’s local chapter in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly — which has clashed with the Tokyoites First local party created by Koike in 2017 — are expected to vote for Koike.
While they trail her by a large margin, other front-runners include Kenji Utsunomiya, a 73-year-old lawyer and former head of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations; Taro Yamamoto, 45, former actor turned leader of anti-establishment party Reiwa Shinsengumi; and Taisuke Ono, 46, former vice governor of Kumamoto Prefecture.
