Front-runners in Tokyo’s upcoming gubernatorial election squared off for the first time in a joint news conference Wednesday, during which candidates took every chance they could to confront Gov. Yuriko Koike over her response to the novel coronavirus and the plausibility of hosting the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games amid an ongoing global pandemic.
Nearly every question, answer and comment focused predictably on criticism of the incumbent and her failure to achieve most of the campaign goals she had touted leading up to her election in 2016.
The initial debate may have foreshadowed how the election campaigns will proceed after they commence Thursday.