This archive report was first published on 13 November 2019.
With the 2020 Summer Olympics set to kick off on July 24, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is facing a crucial election that could determine her future in the city's top job.
According to Japanese law, Koike must hold an election within 30 days of her term expiring on July 30, which would make July 5 the furthest possible date for the election.
As the incumbent governor, Koike, 67, has not officially announced her candidacy but is widely expected to run.
Her term as governor began in 2016, when she won the governorship in a landslide vote, becoming the first female leader of the world's most populous city.
However, her support imploded in 2017 after she formed her own 'Party of Hope' to challenge Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a national election, but failed to stand herself in the election, confusing voters.
More recently, Koike has hit the headlines with her vigorous opposition to the decision of the International Olympic Committee to move the marathon to the northern city of Sapporo to escape the Tokyo summer heat.
Official campaigning for the election will begin on June 18, according to the city's election board.
