Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko has won her third term in Sunday's election.
Koike addressed her supporters and cited various challenges Tokyo is facing, such as soaring prices and the falling birthrate. She has pledged to take action against the latter by expanding free childcare.
Koike said: "Our challenge is how to proceed with digital transformation as industries have changed significantly. Furthermore, the environment for women's empowerment is insufficient compared to other parts of the world. We must raise our efforts to keep improving Tokyo."
During the campaign, Koike stressed the achievements of her two terms in the governor's job. The 71-year-old Koike is a former defense minister who has served in both the upper and lower houses of Japan's Diet. She became Tokyo's first female governor in 2016.
Koike beat a record 55 rivals in the race, winning nearly 3-million votes. She was backed by the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito and several other parties.
Ishimaru Shinji, former mayor of Akitakata City in western Japan's Hiroshima Prefecture, followed Koike, earning more than one-and-a-half million votes without any support from political parties. NHK's exit polls show that he's believed to have gained more than 40 percent of votes from 18 to 29 year-old voters.
Former Upper House lawmaker Renho came third. She was backed by several opposition parties, including the Constitutional Democratic Party.
The LDP and CDP both reacted after the election.
LDP Acting Secretary-General Inada Tomomi said: "I think it is a certain achievement for our party, but I don't think Koike's victory is a victory for the LDP. At the same time, the criticism of our party has not subsided yet, and we're still in a very difficult situation, so I feel once again that it is necessary to push forward with reform."
CDP Election Strategy Committee Chairperson Oogushi Hiroshi said: "I think we should have been in a position to gain votes critical of Koike's performance as Tokyo Governor, but we couldn't manage to do that. I would like to carefully analyze why Renho, and we, couldn't get enough support from independent voters.
Turnout was 60.62 percent, up 5.62 points from the previous race for Tokyo governor.