TOKYO, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Re-elected Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said on Monday that she aims to swiftly create a center for disease control in the Japanese capital city as part of her efforts to enhance the city's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Koike, 67, who won a landslide victory on Sunday with the second-highest number of votes in a gubernatorial election in Tokyo, with more than 3.66 million votes, told a press briefing Monday that she remained dedicated to combating the spread of COVID-19 infections in the capital.
As COVID-19 cases topped the 100-mark for a fifth successive day Monday, Koike told reporters, "I will protect Tokyoites' lives and livelihood against the coronavirus and devise an economic strategy."
She said that accelerating efforts to combat the further spread of the pneumonia-causing virus was a priority for Tokyo residents and as such and as per the main thrust of her winning election campaign, making preparations for Tokyo's version of the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be high on her agenda.
Koike said the envisioned center would function to keep Tokyo residents accurately informed about the COVID-19 situation in the capital of 14 million, by analyzing, evaluating and disseminating information to residents, based on data and information gathered and collated from the metropolitan government, local districts, medical facilities, as well as research institutes.
Koike, a former defense and environment minister, aiming to set up a Tokyo center for disease control, is in line with numerous lawmakers' calls for Japan to launch a national disease control center.
She said expediting the launch of the center in Tokyo would be of paramount importance so the city can deal with a possible second wave of the virus hitting.
Tokyo confirmed 102 new daily COVID-19 infections on Monday, marking the fifth straight day cases have topped the 100-mark, as infections in the capital continue to spike.
On Saturday, 131 cases were confirmed, marking the highest since May 2 when 154 cases were reported. Cases in the capital, which account for about one-third of the nation's total, peaked during the outbreak at 206 on April 17.
Tokyo's cumulative COVID-19 cases have now reached 6,867, according to the latest official figures Monday.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, meanwhile, in a meeting with Koike Monday, congratulated the governor on her re-election, which saw Koike, running as an independent with no official party support, beat 21 challengers to secure her second term, with the pair agreeing to continue to work closely together to combat the virus.
"I'd like to congratulate you on your election victory that was made possible by the powerful voices of people in Tokyo," Abe said at the meeting held at his office.
They also agreed to continue to cooperate in Tokyo hosting the postponed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games next year.
"It's my wish to win the fight against the novel coronavirus with the support of the central government and set the stage for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics," Koike, who became the first female governor of Tokyo in July 2016, told Abe. Enditem
