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Yuriko Koike (R) and her supporters celebrate her win in the Tokyo Governor election in Tokyo, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo, July 31, 2016.

Tokyo voters rewarded Governor Yuriko Koike for her handling of the coronavirus outbreak by re-electing her to a second term Sunday. 

Koike, who easily defeated 22 challengers, used her victory speech to offer a pledge to prepare the city for “a second wave” of COVID-19 and to ensure the Summer Olympic Games that were postponed until next year will be safe and secure, while also scaled back in scope and cost.    

But Koike faces a growing reluctance among the public to stage the Games next year. 

The 67-year-old Koike became the Japanese capital city’s first female elected leader in 2016 and has often been touted as a successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has been widely criticized for bungling the central government’s response to the pandemic.