Tokyo may elect first female governor as it prepares for its Olympics

Former defense minister Yuriko Koike, a candidate planning to run in the Tokyo Governor election, attends a joint news conference with other potential candidates at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Japan July 13, 2016. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Voters in the Japanese capital head to the polls on Sunday and could elect their first woman governor, after two predecessors stepped down over scandals that clouded the city's preparations to host the 2020 summer Olympic Games.

Opinion polls show that Yuriko Koike, Japan's first female defence minister, leads former bureaucrat Hiroya Masuda and liberal journalist Shuntaro Torigoe.