Former health minister Yoichi Masuzoe said Monday he would lead the capital in preparing for the 2020 Olympics and address rising welfare costs as Tokyo's new governor.
"I feel a very grave sense of responsibility. I'll brace myself and do my best," Masuzoe, 65, told reporters after winning Sunday's Tokyo gubernatorial election.
Masuzoe's two main rivals, lawyer Kenji Utsunomiya, 67, and former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, 76, who were both against nuclear energy, were soundly defeated.