Voters in Tokyo cast ballots to decide whether to reelect incumbent conservative as city’s governor

Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Voters in Tokyo are casting ballots to decide whether to reelect conservative Yuriko Koike as governor of Japan’s influential capital for four more years. The vote Sunday is also seen as a test for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s governing party, which supports the incumbent. Tokyo is a city of 13.5 million people with outsized political and cultural power and a budget equaling some nations. It is one of Japan’s most influential political posts. Among the record 55 challengers to Koike, one of the top contenders is also a woman — a liberal-leaning former parliament member who used only her first name Renho and is backed by opposition parties.