Gov. Yuriko Koike plans to run in Tokyo's July gubernatorial election in the hope of securing a third four-year term, a source familiar with the matter said Saturday, amid speculation she may return to national politics.
With the ruling Liberal Democratic Party unlikely to field a candidate in the Tokyo governor race, it may decide to support Koike, according to party sources. Koike, 71, secured reelection as an independent candidate in the previous race in 2020.
Koike, who became the first female governor of the Japanese capital in 2016, may declare her candidacy during the Tokyo assembly's regular session starting on Wednesday, the source said. During the upcoming campaign, she is expected to pledge to continue policies such as promoting child-rearing.
A former newscaster, Koike became Japan's first female defense minister in 2007 when she served as a lawmaker in the LDP.
Official campaigning for the July 7 election starts on June 20.
She was the Tokyo governor during the coronavirus pandemic as well as when the capital hosted the 2020 Summer Olympics, which was postponed by one year.
