Opposition party member Renho announced on Monday that she plans to stand as a candidate in the Tokyo gubernatorial election in July. The 56-year-old lawmaker from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) will hold a press conference on her candidacy at 2 p.m.
If incumbent Governor Yuriko Koike, 71, – who is expected to run for her third four-year term – formally announces her intention to enter the race, Wednesday’s gubernatorial election will already be a closely watched and competitive become a battle between two high-profile female politicians.
Renho currently represents Tokyo District in the House of Councilors and is completing her fourth term in Parliament, which she first joined in 2004 after being elected to the Senate.
The former news anchor previously served as Minister of Administrative Reform during the Democratic Party of Japan rule and as leader of the now-defunct Democratic Party. She made headlines in 2016 when she was criticized for not renouncing her Taiwanese citizenship after being elected president of the party.
The CDP and the Japanese Communist Party are in talks to make Renho their candidate, Tokyo Shimbun reported.
Another notable candidate who has expressed intentions to run in the gubernatorial election is Shinji Ishimaru, 41, the current mayor of Akitakata city in Hiroshima Prefecture.
The elections start on June 20 and election day is set for July 7.
