THE JAPAN NEWS

 

Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike, 64, was assured of victory in Sunday’s Tokyo gubernatorial election, becoming the first female governor of the capital, according to tallies by The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Koike was set to defeat her main rivals — former Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Hiroya Masuda, 64, and journalist Shuntaro Torigoe, 76 — in the race to decide the successor to Yoichi Masuzoe, who stepped down to take responsibility for his inappropriate use of political funds and other scandals.

Koike, graduated from Cairo University and formerly a newscaster, was first elected to the House of Councillors in 1992. She became a House of Representatives member in 1993 and had been elected to the lower chamber a total of eight times.

Koike is a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. However, she announced her bid for the election without the party’s recommendation. The LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito supported Masuda.

Tokyo’s new governor will attend the closing ceremonies of the Rio Olympics and Paralympics. At the ceremonies, the new governor will receive the Olympic flag and the Paralympic flag from the mayor of Rio de Janeiro as the representative of the 2020 Tokyo Games.

After the Rio Games, the new governor will be in charge of preparations as head of the host city.

The Japan News