Pro-nuclear candidate Masuzoe 'wins Tokyo governor vote'
Mr Masuzoe had the backing of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party Former TV presenter and cabinet minister Yoichi Masuzoe has won the election for Tokyo governor by a wide margin, exit polls suggest.
The vote is being seen as a popular verdict on the use of nuclear power.
Mr Masuzoe agrees with government plans to restart Japan's nuclear reactors, while his two closest rivals campaigned on an anti-nuclear platform.
A field of 16 men fought a two-week campaign to become chief executive of the city of 13 million people.
Turnout in Tokyo was low as the capital, like much of Japan, is enveloped in its heaviest snowfall in decades.
The weather was to blame for at least five deaths and 600 injuries across the country by early Sunday, reports said.
Mariko Oi takes a look at the most popular contenders
Mr Masuzoe has the backing of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conservative Liberal Democratic Party.
His closest rivals were former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, 76 - who has been backed by popular ex-PM Junichiro Koizumi - and lawyer Kenji Utsunomiya, 67.
The presumed victory for Mr Masuzoe will come as a relief for Mr Abe, who suffered a rare setback in another local election last month.
Correspondents say much of the voting is likely to have been based on issues like the economy and social welfare programmes.
But the starkest difference between the men was their stance on nuclear power, and public support for nuclear technology has fallen sharply since a tsunami caused a disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant in March 2011.
There were fears the heaviest snowfall in decades could have affected voter turnout 
As much as 27cm (10.6in) of snow was recorded in Tokyo by late Saturday, weather forecasters said 
The snowfall is thought to be the heaviest for 45 years 
The icy conditions have been blamed for scores of injuries The post of Tokyo governor became vacant in December when Naoki Inose stepped down after admitting wrongdoing in accepting an undeclared 50m yen ($500,000; £300,000) from a scandal-hit hospital tycoon.
The new governor is expected to spend much of his time preparing for the 2020 Summer Olympics, with construction projects and the renovation of the city's infrastructure already under way.
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