When asked about the issue during an online question session, Ms. Koike said she “didn’t know” whether she would support such a policy. The victory on Sunday for Ms. Koike, an ultraconservative former defense minister who speaks English and Arabic, was something of a turnabout for her. But she went through with the move a year later even as tenants suspected that the metropolitan government had suppressed information about the safety of the new site. She also led an initiative to ban smoking in most indoor venues in Tokyo. As an incumbent, Ms. Koike started with a considerable advantage, particularly given that the Japanese news media tends not to ask tough questions of candidates or investigate their records.

Source: International New York Times July 05, 2020 11:26 UTC