Tokyo Gov seeks 2nd term, says Japan unprepared for pandemic

TOKYO: Japan may have contained its Coronavirus outbreaks for now but the country needs better crisis management and a digital transformation to prepare for future shocks, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike says. We have to sort out the problems and start preparing now for a possible next wave, Koike said in an interview with The Associated Press. I will firmly strengthen the system." Koike is favored to win a second term in a July 5 election after gaining respect for her proactive approach to controlling Coronavirus outbreaks in Japan's capital.

As the pandemic deepened in the spring, Koike often upstaged fellow conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose popularity has suffered from his handling of the crisis and its devastating impact on the economy, on top of a slew of scandals.

Koike is viewed as a potential candidate to succeed Abe when his term ends in September 2021. For now, she says she's focused on protecting Tokyo, a megacity with a 1 trillion economy.

Tackling Coronavirus measures is an extremely big challenge, and it's more important than anything else, she said Wednesday on the eve of a 17-day campaign period for the election.

Taking care not to criticise Abe directly, Koike said she had to coordinate with him to get things done by requesting help on the national level, implying she would have handled things differently. There were times when Tokyo had to go ahead, in the spirit of encouraging the national government, she said. It is my mission to protect the lives and health of the 14 million people in the city and I was doing everything I could. Among other things, Koike says Japan should have its own version of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. to fight infectious diseases.