Re-elected Tokyo governor and Japanese PM reaffirm vow to hold safe Olympics

Newly re-elected Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike and her political rival Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed Monday to cooperate on handling the coronavirus outbreak in order to safely hold the Olympics next year.

Abe congratulated Koike a day after he she won a second term as Tokyo governor in a landslide election victory boosted by public support for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic despite a recent rise in infections the capital region.

Koike said she and Abe plan talks on a number of issues that need to be resolved in order to safely host the Tokyo 2020 Games next summer from costs and how to simplify the event to handling athletes, staff and specators.

She said International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach called after the election results were announced to congratulate her on the victory.