Crackly stump speeches delivered atop roving campaign trucks echoed through the streets of Tokyo on Thursday as candidates in the upcoming gubernatorial election officially kicked off their campaigns.
The election will shine a spotlight on two topics: what countermeasures are needed to prevent a second wave of novel coronavirus infections in Tokyo, and whether the capital is fit to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, who announced her bid for re-election last week, is riding a wave of popularity since the capital saw relatively low casualties during its initial brush with the pandemic.