CNA



 

Ms Koike has been hailed as one of the most powerful women in Japanese politics, and is considered a contender to one day be the first female prime minister of Japan. 

Tokyo is buzzing again, with travellers returning to the Japanese capital as the country seeks to downgrade COVID-19 to the same category as seasonal flu from May, said its governor Yuriko Koike.
 
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms Koike, the first woman to lead Japan's capital, went for tougher movement restriction measures than what national leaders would take.
 
She called for a state of emergency, and asked the public to restrict movement and observe good hygiene practices during the crisis.
 
“Tokyo is a city with a population of 14 million and we have successfully suppressed the pandemic, with everyone contributing,” recalled the 70-year-old of her experience leading the city out of the pandemic.
 
“Tourists have also returned in a huge way and the city has come alive again.”

 

DOWNGRADING COVID-19'S STATUS

Since March, individuals have been able to decide for themselves whether to wear a mask as the country seeks to downgrade COVID-19’s status.
 
“It’s been three years since the WHO (World Health Organization) declared COVID-19 a pandemic,” said Ms Koike in an interview with CNA.
 
“(My job) was all about ‘don't do this, don't do that’.”
 
Ms Koike has often been hailed as one of the most powerful women in Japanese politics.
 
The two-term governor of Tokyo was once described by the late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe as the “joker” card in a card game, for her ability to influence political outcomes in an unpredictable way.