2003 Tokyo gubernatorial election
Gubernatorial elections were held in Tokyo on 13 April 2003. Incumbent governor Shintaro Ishihara was re-elected with the support of the Liberal Democratic Party, which was riding a nationwide wave of popularity under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Opposition parties had billed the election as a referendum regarding Japanese support for the Iraq War. Although endorsed by the LDP, Ishihara's victory was partly owed to the popularity of policies he enacted in opposition to the national government, such as stricter pollution controls.