Tokyo elects Assembly amid pandemic fears over Olympics

Tokyo: Voters in Japan's capital are electing the Tokyo city Assembly amid worries about health risks during the Olympics, opening in three weeks, as coronavirus cases continue to rise.

In Sunday's balloting, 271 candidates are vying for 127 seats. Eligible voters total 9.8 million people in the megacity with a population of nearly 14 million.

Public opinion surveys show about 60% of respondents want the Games cancelled or postponed again. Behind



the fears is the lagging vaccination rollout, with only about 10% of the population fully vaccinated.

Exit polls by public broadcaster NHK TV showed a tight race between Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike's Tomin First party and the ruling Liberal Democrats, the party of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Tomin First was projected to win 20 to 35 seats, while the Liberal Democrats 25 to 43 seats.