TOKYO: Tokyo residents were voting Sunday for a new governor of the sprawling metropolis who will have to manage problem-plagued preparations for the 2020 Olympics after financial scandals forced the last two incumbents to quit.
The major challenge facing the winner is managing the run-up to Tokyo’s troubled hosting of the 2020 Summer Olympics, especially reining in soaring costs.
Euphoria at securing the right to host sport’s marquee event in 2013 has given way to frustration as preparations have been plagued by gaffes and scandals.
A record 21 candidates are vying to lead the sprawling metropolis of 13.6 million people with an economy the size of Indonesia’s.
Local media surveys, however, suggest it is a three-way race between former defence chief Yuriko Koike, ex-Iwate prefecture governor Hiroya Masuda and veteran TV journalist Shuntaro Torigoe. Ballot counting begins immediately after polls close at 8 pm (1100 GMT).
The election was called after previous governor Yoichi Masuzoe abruptly resigned, felled by a funds scandal centred on lavish spending of public money. He served just over half of his term.
