Tokyo’s First Female Governor Sails to Re-Election Even as Virus Cases Rise

TOKYO — In rewarding Tokyo’s first female governor, Yuriko Koike, with a second term on Sunday, voters endorsed her highly visible leadership as the sprawling metropolis has avoided the kind of spiraling death toll from the coronavirus seen in other world capitals.

But a recent resurgence in cases in Tokyo has made clear that her challenge is far from over.

Even as Ms. Koike, 67, cruised to victory on Sunday, with exit polls by Japanese news media showing her winning 60 percent of the vote, Tokyo reported 111 new infections, its fourth straight day over 100.

The creeping increase in cases has started to raise anxieties that the capital may have to reinstate elements of the nearly two-month state of emergency that it emerged from at the end of May. That growing caseload was felt in the election: About 15 percent of voters cast their ballots before Sunday, and turnout on Election Day was just above 37 percent.

During the emergency period, in which the government issued voluntary requests for businesses to limit operations and residents to stay home, Ms. Koike made herself the face of Tokyo’s response to the virus. She anchored near-nightly news conferences to deliver daily test figures and advice on how to avoid infections.

Ms. Koike presented a stark contrast to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who often appeared stiff in front of the news media. He was widely criticized when he posted an awkward video on Twitter showing himself at home drinking tea with his dog. Ms. Koike was a much more relaxed presence when she appeared in a jovial conversation with Japan’s most famous YouTube star, Hikakin.

“Seeing her face on television every day made me feel comfortable,” Yuki Matsuura, 70, said as she voted in the Setagaya ward of Tokyo. “I think that she is doing the best that she can in a very difficult situation.”