History In The Making

Yuriko Koike is the first woman to be elected governor of Tokyo, and will take the helm for four years as the city prepares to host the 2020 Olympic Games. Here is what you need to know about the 64-year-old politician. Koike is one of the best-known politicians and has held many high level positions during her 24-year career.

One of the positions she held was Environmental Minister, where she started a company called Cool Biz. The goal of the company was to encourage businessmen to take off their ties and jackets during the hot summer months, in order to save money on air conditioning. In 2007, she served as Japan’s first female Defense Minister. In 2008, she ran for president and was trying to “break the iron plate”. She compared it to Hillary Clinton’s “glass ceiling” and felt that it was much harder in Japan for women to break into high level positions. Although she didn’t win, she shed light on the low number of women in Japan’s parliament.

She also caused a rift with Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party. Koike is fluent in both Arabic and English. She graduated from Cairo University and then worked as an interpreter of Arabic before moving into a career of broadcast journalism. As the new governor, Koike has promised to work toward improving the lives of people in Tokyo, such as creating more childcare facilities.