The Tokyo governor has lost 7,000 supporters for his next election, promises marathon aficionado Taeko Hara.
The resident of Mitaka, western Tokyo, is fuming because the city has slashed funding for the annual Tokyo Half Marathon, which, unlike most of the nation's running events, is open to everybody. Almost 7,000 people signed up to run in the race this year.
"In major cities around the world, they stop everything to have a full marathon," Hara said. "But Tokyo can't do even half. It's disappointing."