In an election held in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on Sunday, incumbent Mayor Masami Ishikawa, backed by Gov. Yuriko Koike, secured a fifth term to lead the district, defeating two newcomers, including one supported by the Liberal Democratic Party.
The election was widely seen as a forecast for prospects for the governor’s administration and she is expected to use the victory as a springboard for a Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election to be held this summer, a contest that will determine the breadth of support for her.
During the campaign, the 75-year-old Ishikawa emphasized his achievements during his 16 years in office including zero-waiting lists for nursery schools and after-school clubs for elementary school students, as well as exemption of medical costs for those under 18 years old.
Ishikawa beat the 41-year-old LDP-backed challenger, Makoto Yosano, a company employee and a nephew of former Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano, and independent Asao Igarashi, a 41-year-old former company employee and brother of Tatsuo Igarashi, the mayor of the city of Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture.
