By Tomoyuki Tachikawa,
About a week after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida marks 1,000 days in office, the Tokyo gubernatorial election will take place on July 7, drawing nationwide attention as a "presidential race."
Japanese voters only indirectly participate electing the country's leader as the prime minister is chosen by lawmakers under a parliamentary Cabinet system.
But the Tokyo governor is elected through direct voting from candidates, often including celebrities such as athletes, comedians, novelists and former lawmakers, creating excitement similar to presidential races in other nations during the campaign period.
Decisions by the leader of the Japanese capital of around 14 million with an annual budget of more than 16 trillion yen ($100 billion), almost the same as the national spending of Sweden or the Czech Republic, sometimes affects state policies.
But concern is mounting that more people are running in the election just to gain fame through campaign broadcasts and posters, causing controversies about how the race should be conducted.
Moreover, there is also criticism among political pundits that the governor election focuses less on policies and more on popularity, given that swing voters -- those not affiliated with particular parties -- hold the key in the race.
The latest election is seen as a proxy war between national parties, as incumbent Yuriko Koike, who is seeking to secure her third four-year term with the effective support of the ruling bloc, is challenged by the main opposition-backed politician Renho.
The ruling coalition comprises the Liberal Democratic Party headed by Kishida, who became the eighth premier since 1945 to reach 1,000 days in office on Saturday, and its junior partner Komeito party backed by Japan's biggest lay Buddhist organization, Soka Gakkai.
In the Tokyo gubernatorial election, it is "crucial" how candidates pitch themselves, political commentator Atsuo Ito said, adding that residents should make a "wise choice without being distracted by catchy words and actions."
For the first half-century since the first race was held in 1947, all four elected governors graduated from the University of Tokyo and three of them were bureaucrats before becoming the leader of the metropolitan government.
But since Yukio Aoshima, who had been a scriptwriter, actor, comedian, novelist and House of Councillors lawmaker, was elected in 1995, celebrities frequently appearing on television and other media have won Tokyo gubernatorial elections.
In 1999, Shintaro Ishihara, an author and former transport minister, was elected. Known for his hawkish and nationalistic views, he served as Tokyo governor for 13 years before returning to national politics later in his life in 2012.
Months before he left office, Ishihara abruptly announced the metropolis would buy some of the Japan-controlled but China-claimed Senkaku Islands from a private owner, prompting the central government to put the islets under state control in September that year.
In December 2012, Naoki Inose, a prize-winning writer who became Tokyo's deputy chief, scored an overwhelming victory in the gubernatorial election. He succeeded in the bid for the Tokyo Summer Olympics and Paralympics, held in 2021.
After Yoichi Masuzoe, an expert on international affairs and former health minister, became Tokyo governor in 2014, Koike, a former TV anchor and Japan's first female defense minister, was elected as Tokyo governor in July 2016.
Due to the high-profile nature of the job, the Tokyo governor is vulnerable to scrutiny. Inose and Masuzoe were compelled to step down midway through their terms over a campaign-funding scandal and for misusing taxpayers' money, respectively.
Political analysts, meanwhile, have warned that for the past 30 years, the Tokyo governor election has become a "festival," which has provided less qualified candidates with opportunities for media exposure, in turn undermining fair democracy.
A record 56 people have thrown their hats into the ring this year. Notable candidates are former Air Self-Defense Force chief Toshio Tamogami and Shinji Ishimaru, a former mayor of Akitakata in Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan.
Some candidates in Tokyo's upcoming gubernatorial race, however, have been criticized for making a mockery of the electoral process by posting sexually explicit posters or covering large parts of official campaigning boards with their materials.
Regarding attempts to erode the integrity of Tokyo's race, Masahito Tadano, a professor of constitutional law at Hitotsubashi University, called for the amendment of the legislation related to the electoral system.
"Japan's electoral system has, to some extent, relied on the good sense of voters and candidates. If problems like this one continue, we will need to establish an even more restrictive system," Tadano said.
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FOCUS: Koike-Renho leadership contest to have ramifications far beyond Tokyo
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Tokyo governor race begins with Koike, opposition-backed Renho clash
