In the Tokyo gubernatorial election, incumbent Koike Yuriko was re-elected for a third term. This was as I had predicted, but one thing that was completely different was the voter turnout. I had predicted that the turnout would be the lowest on record, but in fact it was just over 60%, 5.62 points higher than the previous election. It is said to be the second highest since the Heisei era began. With 56 candidates running, and the election favoring the incumbent, it was expected that Tokyo residents would lose interest and there would be an increase in non-voters, but in fact voter turnout increased thanks to the fringe candidates. It was a chaotic election, but if we look at the voter turnout, it seems that the fringe candidates had a reason to exist. (Kei)

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