Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara was re-elected in a landslide in Sunday's nationwide local elections to choose governors and members of prefectural and municipal assemblies.
The popular Ishihara, 70, won the race over four others, including social critic Keiko Higuchi, by a large margin. The win appeared to be a vote of confidence for his style of setting out unique, often controversial policies.
With 72 percent of the ballots counted, Ishihara had captured more than 2 million votes.