Former chairman of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, Kenji Utsunomiya, announced at a press conference at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office on Thursday that he will run for the position of governor of Tokyo as an independent.
Utsunomiya, 73, will be campaigning on improving the healthcare system and welfare for non-salaried employees as measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported by the Jiji Press. He will also campaign against the development of an integrated resort in Japan’s capital city.
“There are many who are losing their jobs due to COVID-19,” Utsunomiya said this week. “The people who suffer most are those who are economically and socially vulnerable. There are no measures that reach out to them.”
Utsunomiya criticized the incumbent, Yuriko Koike, for what he described as insufficient measures.
Utsunomiya was defeated in 2012 and 2014 in the gubernatorial elections. In 2016 he quit the race to yield to Shuntaro Torigoe. Koike has not yet revealed whether she will run again for governor.
The election will be held on 5 July.
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