Koike is running for a third term in the Tokyo gubernatorial elections

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is likely to run for a third term in the July 7 Tokyo gubernatorial election.

Koike, 71, is expected to run as an independent candidate in the elections, which have an official campaign period starting June 20.

Sources close to Koike said she is making arrangements to announce her candidacy during the regular session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, which begins on May 29.

The sources said Koike has already started working on her manifesto. They said she plans to continue focusing on decarbonization, strengthening Tokyo’s international competitiveness and measures in response to the country’s declining birth rate and aging population.

Koike served as Minister of the Environment and Defense while serving as a member of the House of Representatives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. She was first elected governor of Tokyo in July 2016.