Number Running in Tokyo Governor Election May Break Record; 70 Have Received Candidate Application Form So Far

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:02 JST, June 13, 2024

The number of candidates in Tokyo’s July 7 gubernatorial election is projected to far exceed the record high of 22 who ran in 2020.

In addition to incumbent Gov. Yuriko Koike and House of Councillors member Renho, a number of others — former Mayor of Akitakata, Hiroshima Prefecture, Shinji Ishimaru, 41; former Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Toshio Tamogami, 75; celebrity Kuniaki Shimizu, 73; former House of Representatives lawmaker Koki Kobayashi, 80 — have also already declared their intention to run.

The number of people who have received candidate application forms has reached 70 as of Tuesday, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Election Administration Commission. Of those, 41 have already completed a procedure to have their applications screened in advance to allow them to apply for candidacy smoothly on the first day of the official electoral period.

Tokyo’s gubernatorial election is the largest in the country, with over 10 million registered voters. Many candidates take part in the race because it draws so much attention. Of the 21 past elections for Tokyo governor, there have only been six in which the number of candidates was less than 10. The 2016 election, in which Koike was first elected, had 21.