Utsunomiya was a candidate in the 2012 Tokyo gubernatorial election. He announced his candidacy on November 9, 2012, after long-term Governor Shintaro Ishihara suddenly resigned to return to national politics ahead of the then-looming next general election.[5] A field of nine candidates emerged, with the front-runner being Naoki Inose, who had been vice-governor under Ishihara from 2007 to 2012, and then acting governor after Ishihara's abrupt resignation. Inose vowed to follow Ishihara's policies.
Utsunomiya stated that he wanted to improve support for the less fortunate of Tokyo by expanding employment opportunities and providing improved welfare and medical care. While other leading candidates wished to continue many Ishihara's policies and priorities, Utsunomiya harshly criticized Ishihara's administration, saying "Ishihara didn't care about enriching Tokyoites' lives. During Ishihara's tenure, the number of those who starved to death or went on welfare in the 23 wards doubled." He was alone among the candidates who said that they would reconsider Tokyo's bid for the 2020 Olympics,[6] and criticized Ishihara's rash decisions such as his attempt to purchase the Senkaku Islands, which caused much friction between China and Japan.[7]
In addition, he said that he wanted to pressure the central government to abolish nuclear power, and also to do more to provide assistance for victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Utsunomiya ran as an independent, as is traditional for most candidates for governorships in Japan. He was however endorsed by the Japanese Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party,[8] and the Tomorrow Party of Japan.[9] The Democratic Party of Japan itself did not endorse any candidate,[10] but former Prime Minister Naoto Kan of the party supported him.[11]
Utsunomiya ultimately came second in the election, gaining 968,960 votes. The result was a landslide victory for Inose, who received 4,338,936 votes.[12]
Utsunomiya was the first candidate to enter the 2014 Tokyo gubernatorial election following Inose's resignation due to a financial scandal. He called for providing a check against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, closing all nuclear plants, restricting spending on the 2020 Summer Olympics and making Tokyo "a secure city where people can live and work."[13]
One of his talking points was opposing the expansion plan for the National Olympic Stadium: he quipped in one campaign speech that "only Arashi and AKB48 can fill an 80,000 person stadium. It's going to go into the red after the Olympics."[14]
As in his 2012 campaign, he ran as an independent. He was again endorsed by the Japanese Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party.[15] After the emergence of Morihiro Hosokawa's candidacy, former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who had backed Utsunomiya in his previous bid for governor in 2012, called on him to leave the race out of fears that he would split the anti-nuclear vote in Tokyo.[16] Utsunomiya came in second place with 982,595 votes, with victory going to Yoichi Masuzoe with 2,112,979 votes.
After some speculation, Utsunomiya officially announced his candidacy for the 2016 Tokyo gubernatorial election on July 11, 2016,
[17] but withdrew shortly afterwards to avoid taking votes from the main opposition candidate Shuntaro Torigoe.[18] The election was subsequently won by Yuriko Koike of the Liberal Democratic Party, with Torigoe placing third.
Utsunomiya ran again as an independent in the 2020 Tokyo gubernatorial election on July 5, 2020, and was considered the main opposition candidate in the race after winning the endorsements of the Constitutional Democratic Party, the Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party.[19] The election was again won by incumbent Yuriko Koike, with Utsunomiya placing second with 844,151 votes or 13.76% of the vote.
