Campaigning kicks off in Tokyo governor race

The campaign is expected to focus on how incumbent Koike Yuriko has performed over her eight years running the metropolitan government.

Candidates are also expected to discuss ways to tackle soaring prices and measures against the falling birthrate. Tokyo's total fertility rate has declined to the country's lowest at 0.99.

Candidates

Here is the list in order of registration. NHK World is only showing photos of those who have given their permission.

Rivals begin canvassing

Here are excerpts from speeches of five candidates on Thursday morning.

"My primary goal is to make Tokyo the world's best city. My slogan in this campaign is 'protect the capital.' That means protecting people's lives, their livelihoods, and the economy. But it's not only about protecting — it's about helping those things improve. I will strive to make Tokyo better and better. I want to move such things forward for the people, with the people."

"I can't forgive self-serving politicians. When we look abroad, you can see young leaders are being born all over the world. Now is a chance for us to join hands to make a change. Let's move forward together."

"My priority will be disaster prevention to save the lives of Tokyo's people. I will also focus on transparency within the Tokyo Metropolitan Government — how the taxes are used and for whom. Let me be your governor."

"I want to make Tokyo a safe and rich city. I want to work on disaster preparations so that if something happens, the city won't suffer serious damage and we can minimize the number of victims as much as possible. We need to focus on education that will instill confidence and pride as Japanese."

"I want to thoroughly support the young people. I want to ease their burdens and anxieties. They shouldn't be forced to give up. They should be able to choose their way of life. I am convinced this is exactly what the Tokyo Metropolitan Government can do to take the lead over the central government."

Tokyo governor to rule vast economic powerhouse

The governor of Tokyo presides over a vast economic powerhouse.

Tokyo contributes about 113 trillion yen a year to the country's GDP, nearly 20% of the total.

The metropolitan government budget climbed to a record 16.55 trillion yen this fiscal year. That compares with the 19 trillion yen national budget of Sweden, and the Czech Republic at 14.5 trillion yen.

The governor also leads some 160,000 staffers, including government employees, police and public school personnel.

Japan's capital has about 14 million people. That's almost 11% of the country's population.

About 11.5 million residents are eligible to vote in the direct election for the governor.

Political parties see an opportunity to claim public support

NHK World's Shimada Yukiko explains the significance of this election.

Q: As mentioned, candidates hit a record number. What's behind this jump?

The election features some big names in Japanese politics. That's attracting a lot of interest. Experts say some may not be trying to actually win. Rather, they may just want attention and to earn money by getting more views of their videos online.

Also remember that Tokyo's population numbers 14 million. That means a huge budget. The one for this fiscal year comes in at more than 100 billion dollars. That's comparable to Sweden's national budget. So big population, big budget, and big responsibilities. That makes the governor position quite appealing.

Q: How will the result of the election affect national politics?

Political parties see an opportunity to claim public support, depending on who wins. It's something they really want ahead of another big vote.

The main ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito back Koike, though she says she officially has not asked them to. She's running as an independent but seems to want to use the LDP's powerful resources.

I think Koike does not want people to think she's associated with the party. The LDP has faced low approval ratings due to a fundraising scandal involving its factions. It's also suffered a losing streak in recent Lower House by-elections and other races. I think Koike is concerned about optics, but so too is the LDP. It worries that if she loses, it will be yet another sign of its weakening strength.

Renho is also running as an independent. She recently left the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party. She says she wants to gain broader support. But it's worth mentioning the CDP and other opposition parties are backing her with full force. The CDP hopes Renho winning would give it a boost.

Momentum is something parties are looking for more and more. A Lower House election must be held by October of next year. So the focus is on the race in Tokyo, but many are keeping an eye on the next national election.