TOKYO: The campaign for the Tokyo gubernatorial election Sunday has entered the final stage, with incumbent KOIKE Yuriko leading the race, trailed by former parliament member Renho and former municipality head ISHIMARU Shinji.

Koike, 71, who is seeking a third term, stresses her plans to improve child-related measures by including in her campaign pledges free nursery services for the first child in a family and subsidies for painless deliveries.

She also highlights achievements including providing 5,000 yen a month to residents up to the age of 18 and making high school education effectively free of charge.

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito back Koike, who has a cooperative relationship with the two parties in the metropolitan assembly.

The LDP is strengthening its support for Koike without calling publicly for votes for her at a time when the party is under fire over a high-profile political funds scandal. “The disadvantages outweigh (the advantages) if the link with the party is clear,” one LDP source said.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party support Renho, 56, a former member of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament.

She has been holding large-scale street speeches in an attempt to catch up with Koike, emphasizing the need for thorough administrative and fiscal reforms and stronger support for the socially vulnerable.

Renho harshly criticizes Koike for cooperating with the scandal-hit LDP. With the aid of CDP and JCP members, she aims to garner “anti-LDP” votes.

Ishimaru, a 41-year-old former mayor of Akitakata, Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, takes a critical stance not only against the LDP but also against all other existing political parties. On policy, he pledges to allocate funds mainly to the education sector.

TAMOGAMI Toshio, 75, former chief of staff of the Air Self-Defense Force, pledges better disaster management measures. He also calls for respect for national flag and the anthem, appealing mainly to conservative voters.

For the Tokyo governor race, 56 people, including television personality Kuniaki Shimizu, 73, have declared their candidacies.

JIJI Press