Tokyo Elects First Woman Governor

Her victory as the first women to take on the governorship of Tokyo—the world’s most populous metropolitan area—has drawn particular attention both inside and outside of Japan. Japanese politics continues to be dominated by men, with women comprising just 9 percent of all national-level lawmakers. Her independent campaign was met with intense negative campaigning, featuring harsh sexist language. Shintaro Ishihara, Tokyo’s former longtime governor and ultraconservative LDP stalwart, had warned voters that ”We cannot leave Tokyo to a woman with too much make-up.”



Despite the sexist backlash to her candidacy, Koike triumphed, remarking that she was “used to it.” Addressing perceptions that Japan continues to have setbacks for working women, unlike other advanced democracies, Koike vowed to support policies that would promote better workplace conditions for women. “I received so much support from women this election. The support made me think deeply that I have a responsibility to work on the issues of waiting lines for day care centers, elderly care, and work-life balance,” she told the press.



Koike has specifically pledged to increase daycare facilities for working Japanese women, buttressing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s national-level efforts to increase women’s labor force participation within Tokyo. Abe, unlike lower-level and retired LDP politicians, did not speak either in favor of or against Koike’s candidacy. Devin Stewart, a Japan expert at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, told The Diplomat that, in the context of the LDP’s broader position in Japanese politics, Koike’s victory was significant “because it shows that the ruling LDP is not invulnerable.” Stewart added that Koike’s triumph as an independent “shows that candidates who are relatively outsiders can make ground in Japan.”



Ultimately, Koike’s win, while no doubt a significant milestone for women’s political participation in Japan, leaves her responsible for stewarding Tokyo past the financial scandals of her predecessors as the city prepares for the Olympics. If she resists scandal and lasts the four year term she has been elected to, she will remain in office through the start of the Tokyo Olympics. It remains to be seen if Koike will use her pulpit as the leader of Japan’s most important city to have her voice heard on the national stage. Moreover, given the difficult months of campaigning and her effective isolation from the LDP for the duration of the campaign, Koike could challenge the ruling party’s perceived dominance on the national stage. Much will depend on how the new governor decides to begin her term.