High profile opposition lawmaker Saito Renho, who goes by her given name, announced her candidacy for Tokyo governor on May 27.  The Tokyo gubernatorial election will be held on July 7 in accordance with the expiration of Governor Koike Yuriko’s current term on July 30.  Renho is a lawmaker of the Constitutional Democratic Party but is considering running as independent to appeal to Tokyoites widely.  As of now, Mayor Ishimaru Shinji from Hiroshima Prefecture and over 20 others have announced their candidacy with more expected later this week.  
 

S/ Constitutional Democratic Party lawmaker Renho ;

I, Renho, will run for Tokyo governor this summer. The people of this country have made it clear. We want to see a “reset” of the lawmakers involved in financial scandal, the politics and money of the LDP, and the Koike government that has extended the life of LDP politics. It is my mission to stand at the helm of that reset. I will never forgive those lawmakers and the LDP. Anti-LDP, anti-Koiki politics. I plan to run for Tokyo governor on this platform.”  

Eight years ago, while being a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Koike ran for governor of Tokyo by saying that she would break the black box of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.   

But what has she achieved over the past eight years? 

What happened to the “Seven Zero Pledges?”  Nursing care turnover, overtime, Toden’s poles, Tama area’s disparity, overcrowded trains. None of them have been reduced to zero. 

Last year, 5,000 yen was suddenly given to families with children under the age of 18. The money was distributed a year before the election.  

In February this year, projection mapping on the exterior walls of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building suddenly began. Five months before the gubernatorial election, she increased the visibility of the governor of Tokyo. 

From November last year to the end of March this year, the Tokyo Disaster Prevention Book was suddenly renewed for the first time in eight years. In this digital age, she created a disaster prevention book on paper and distributed it to all 7.7 million households in Tokyo. Each of these is accompanied by a message with a photo of the governor of Tokyo. This budget is 1.1 billion yen more than eight years ago. 

I will reexamine the budget and shine light on those who are at a disadvantage. I want to deliver policies. I will deliver jobs, food, safety, and education to children. That is the kind of government I want to create.