Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike’s yet unannounced bid for a second term was dealt a potentially fatal blow by the postponement of the 2020 Games. Or so it seemed, until the novel coronavirus presented the incumbent with a de facto re-election platform.
Nobody wishes for a global health crisis, but the pandemic handed Koike an unmistakable chance to demonstrate her political prowess on the world stage leading up to the gubernatorial election on July 5.
The incumbent has a clear advantage but, beyond the results, the election will provide an evaluation of the governor’s response to the outbreak through the eyes of her constituents. The election is expected to provide a true measure of how much voters trust Koike to continue her fight against the coronavirus, carry out the Olympic and Paralympic Games and lead Tokyo through the rest of this tumultuous chapter in the capital’s long history.