Tokyo will hold a gubernatorial election on July 5 next year, ahead of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 24, the capital's election committee announced Wednesday.
Gov. Yuriko Koike's term ends July 30 next year, and election law stipulates that gubernatorial elections must be held within 30 days of the end of a governor's term. With the Olympic torch relay arriving in the capital July 10 and the opening ceremony two weeks later, the commission was left with few alternatives to scheduling the gubernatorial election for Sunday, July 5.
Official campaign periods will begin June 18 for the gubernatorial election and June 26 for the assembly by-elections in Ota Ward, Kita Ward and the Kitatama district.