Tokyo elects Yuriko Koike as first woman governor
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TOKYO (APP) - Veteran politician Yuriko Koike was elected Sunday as Tokyo's first woman governor, according to media exit polls, and immediately vowed to get a grip on the megacity's troubled 2020 Olympic preparations.
Public broadcaster NHK, Jiji Press and other major media forecast the 64-year-old Koike as the winner just after polls closed at 8 pm (1100 GMT).
Koike is a former TV anchorwoman, defence minister and environment minister.
Official ballot counting in the sprawling metropolis of 13.6 million people, was expected to take hours to complete. But with three percent of votes tallied she had more than 84,000 votes to slightly over 60,000 for her closest challenger.
Koike claimed victory and addressed supporters shortly after the media declared her the winner.