Koike went to Kōnan Girls' Junior and Senior High School for her secondary education.
College/University
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
She enrolled at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, where she studied Arabic and sociology. The decision was partly due to her father. "Japan can only survive with the help of oil imports from the Arab countries," he had told her. "Even though we are so dependent on the Arab countries, the Japanese don't understand them." In 1976, she became the second Japanese national to graduate from the university, earning a bachelor degree in sociology.
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
She dropped out of a sociology course at Kwansei Gakuin University in western Japan in 1971.
Career
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2014
2 Chome-2-22 Ariake, Koto, Tokyo 135-0063, Japan
Japan's first lady Akie Abe (L) and politician Yuriko Koike (L) watch the men's singles semi-final match between Kei Nishikori of Japan and Benjamin Becker of Germany on day six of Rakuten Open 2014 at Ariake Colosseum on October 4, 2014 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Source: Koji Watanabe/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2016
10-1 Kasumigaokamachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0013, Japan
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, second from left, Minister in charge of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Tamayo Marukawa, second from right, and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, right, pose during a photo session at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new National Stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games on December 10, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Source: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2016
2 Chome-8-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo 163-8001, Japan
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach (L) talks with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike after their meeting at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office in Tokyo on October 18, 2016. Bach is in Tokyo to look at preparations ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.
(Source: AFP)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2016
2 Chome-8-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo 163-8001, Japan
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach (L) speaks beside Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike during their meeting at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office in Tokyo on October 18, 2016. Bach is in Tokyo to look at preparations ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.
(Source: AFP)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2016
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, center, waves the Paralympic flag during the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games at Maracana Stadium on September 18, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
(Source: Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images South America)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2016
Hanedakuko, Ōta, Tokyo 144-0041, Japan
he governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike walks out of an airplane with the Olympic flag during the "The Arrival of Olympic Flag Ceremony" at the Haneda Airport on August 24, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Source: Masterpress/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2016
Av. Pres. Castelo Branco, Portão 3 - Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 20271-130, Brazil
L-R) Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes, IOC President Thomas Bach and Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike take part in the Flag Handover Ceremony during the Closing Ceremony on Day 16 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium on August 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
(Source: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images South America)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2016
Av. Pres. Castelo Branco, Portão 3 - Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 20271-130, Brazil
L-R) Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes, IOC President Thomas Bach and Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike take part in the Flag Handover Ceremony during the Closing Ceremony on Day 16 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium on August 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
(Source: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images South America)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2017
9-83 Uenokoen, Taitō, Tokyo 110-0007, Japan
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (C) attends a preview of giant panda cub Xiang Xiang at Ueno Zoological Gardens on December 18, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. The panda cub was born on June 12 and goes on public view from December 19.
(Source: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2017
Tokyo, Japan
Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike speaks on stage during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic 1000 days to go ceremony on November 29, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Source: Matt Roberts/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2017
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike unveils a countdown display showing the number of days to go until the opening of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic 1,000 Days Countdown event on October 28, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Source: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2017
Tokyo, Japan
In this picture taken on October 18, 2017, Tokyo Governor and leader of the Party of Hope Yuriko Koike (C) raises the hand of party candidate Yoshinori Yoshida (R) during an election campaign in Saitama.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears poised to secure a fresh term at the helm of the world's third-biggest economy Sunday, as he seeks a mandate for his nationalist agenda and hardline stance on North Korea.
(Source: AFP)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2017
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo Governor and leader of the Party of Hope Yuriko Koike (R) waves to the audience beside her party candidate Yoshiko Ichikawa (L) during an election campaign in Kawasaki, suburb of Tokyo, on October 12, 2017.Japan will hold a snap election on October 22 in a verdict to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's nearly five years of reign since late 2012.
(Source: AFP)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2018
1 Chome-3-12 Aomi, Koto, Tokyo 135-0064, Japan
Daisuke Maeda (C) shake hands with Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike (R) during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games 2 Years To Go countdown ceremony at Mega Web on August 25, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Source: Getty Images AsiaPac)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2018
1 Chome-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida, Tokyo 131-0045, Japan
Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike speaks on stage during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Two Years To Go Ceremony at Tokyo Skytree on July 24, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan.
(July 23, 2018 - Source: Matt Roberts/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2008
Tokyo, Japan
Former Defence Minister Yuriko Koike (3L) looks on at the Lower House of Parliament on September 24, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Taro Aso is expected to become the new Japanese Prime Minister after being officially appointed and approved at the Imperial Palace later today.
(Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2008
Tokyo, Japan
Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike (L), a candidate for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election, shakes hands with Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi during a luncheon ahead of the election at Selan restaurant on September 16, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. The president of the ruling LDP party, whose position will be for the new Japanese Prime Minister, will be elected on September 22.
(Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2008
Tokyo, Japan
L-R) Former land, infrastructure and transportation Minister Nobuteru Ishihara, Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike and Former Foreign Minister Taro Aso attend an election campaign for Japanese LDP Party President who will be in the position of Japanese Prime Minister at at Shibuya crossing on September 11, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. The new Japanese Prime Minister will be decided on September 22.
(Source: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2008
11-23, Nagatachō 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-8910, Japan
(L-R)Former Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Kaoru Yosano, Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Former Foreign Minister Taro Aso, Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike and Former land, infrastructure and transportation Minister Nobuteru Ishihara join hands at joint press conference on LDP's presidential election campaign at Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarter on September 10, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Taro Aso, Yuriko Koike, Shigeru Ishiba, Nobuteru Ishihara and Kaoru Yosano are running for the election, the new Japanese Prime Minister will be decided on September 22.
(Source: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2008
11-23, Nagatachō 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-8910, Japan
Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike (C) raises with her supporters during a kick-off ceremony for the LDP party's presidential election campaign at Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarter on September 10, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Taro Aso, Yuriko Koike, Shigeru Ishiba, Nobuteru Ishihara and Kaoru Yosano are running for the election, the new Japanese Prime Minister will be decided on September 22.
(Source: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2008
11-23, Nagatachō 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-8910, Japan
Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike attends a kick-off ceremony for the LDP party's presidential election campaign at Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarter on September 10, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Taro Aso, Yuriko Koike, Shigeru Ishiba, Nobuteru Ishihara and Kaoru Yosano run for the election, new Japanese Prime Minister will be decided on September 22.
(Source: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Gallery of Yuriko Koike
2008
11-23, Nagatachō 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-8910, Japan
Former Japanese Defense Minister Yuriko Koike speaks at a press conference at the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Headquarter on September 8, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Koike launched a bid to be Japan's first woman prime minister. The campaign will start on September 10 and a new Japanese Prime Minister will be decided on September 22.
(Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images)
Achievements
Membership
Awards
Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World
Former Defence Minister Yuriko Koike (3L) looks on at the Lower House of Parliament on September 24, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Taro Aso is expected to become the new Japanese Prime Minister after being officially appointed and approved at the Imperial Palace later today.
(Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images)
Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike (L), a candidate for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election, shakes hands with Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi during a luncheon ahead of the election at Selan restaurant on September 16, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. The president of the ruling LDP party, whose position will be for the new Japanese Prime Minister, will be elected on September 22.
(Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)
L-R) Former land, infrastructure and transportation Minister Nobuteru Ishihara, Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike and Former Foreign Minister Taro Aso attend an election campaign for Japanese LDP Party President who will be in the position of Japanese Prime Minister at at Shibuya crossing on September 11, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. The new Japanese Prime Minister will be decided on September 22.
(Source: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images AsiaPac)
11-23, Nagatachō 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-8910, Japan
(L-R)Former Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Kaoru Yosano, Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Former Foreign Minister Taro Aso, Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike and Former land, infrastructure and transportation Minister Nobuteru Ishihara join hands at joint press conference on LDP's presidential election campaign at Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarter on September 10, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Taro Aso, Yuriko Koike, Shigeru Ishiba, Nobuteru Ishihara and Kaoru Yosano are running for the election, the new Japanese Prime Minister will be decided on September 22.
(Source: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images AsiaPac)
11-23, Nagatachō 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-8910, Japan
Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike (C) raises with her supporters during a kick-off ceremony for the LDP party's presidential election campaign at Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarter on September 10, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Taro Aso, Yuriko Koike, Shigeru Ishiba, Nobuteru Ishihara and Kaoru Yosano are running for the election, the new Japanese Prime Minister will be decided on September 22.
(Source: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images AsiaPac)
11-23, Nagatachō 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-8910, Japan
Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike attends a kick-off ceremony for the LDP party's presidential election campaign at Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarter on September 10, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Taro Aso, Yuriko Koike, Shigeru Ishiba, Nobuteru Ishihara and Kaoru Yosano run for the election, new Japanese Prime Minister will be decided on September 22.
(Source: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images AsiaPac)
11-23, Nagatachō 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-8910, Japan
Former Japanese Defense Minister Yuriko Koike speaks at a press conference at the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Headquarter on September 8, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Koike launched a bid to be Japan's first woman prime minister. The campaign will start on September 10 and a new Japanese Prime Minister will be decided on September 22.
(Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images)
Japan's first lady Akie Abe (L) and politician Yuriko Koike (L) watch the men's singles semi-final match between Kei Nishikori of Japan and Benjamin Becker of Germany on day six of Rakuten Open 2014 at Ariake Colosseum on October 4, 2014 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Source: Koji Watanabe/Getty Images AsiaPac)
10-1 Kasumigaokamachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0013, Japan
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, second from left, Minister in charge of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Tamayo Marukawa, second from right, and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, right, pose during a photo session at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new National Stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games on December 10, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Source: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images AsiaPac)
2 Chome-8-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo 163-8001, Japan
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach (L) talks with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike after their meeting at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office in Tokyo on October 18, 2016. Bach is in Tokyo to look at preparations ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.
(Source: AFP)
2 Chome-8-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo 163-8001, Japan
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach (L) speaks beside Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike during their meeting at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office in Tokyo on October 18, 2016. Bach is in Tokyo to look at preparations ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.
(Source: AFP)
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, center, waves the Paralympic flag during the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games at Maracana Stadium on September 18, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
(Source: Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images South America)
he governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike walks out of an airplane with the Olympic flag during the "The Arrival of Olympic Flag Ceremony" at the Haneda Airport on August 24, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Source: Masterpress/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Av. Pres. Castelo Branco, Portão 3 - Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 20271-130, Brazil
L-R) Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes, IOC President Thomas Bach and Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike take part in the Flag Handover Ceremony during the Closing Ceremony on Day 16 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium on August 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
(Source: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images South America)
Av. Pres. Castelo Branco, Portão 3 - Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 20271-130, Brazil
L-R) Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes, IOC President Thomas Bach and Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike take part in the Flag Handover Ceremony during the Closing Ceremony on Day 16 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium on August 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
(Source: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images South America)
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (C) attends a preview of giant panda cub Xiang Xiang at Ueno Zoological Gardens on December 18, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. The panda cub was born on June 12 and goes on public view from December 19.
(Source: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike speaks on stage during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic 1000 days to go ceremony on November 29, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Source: Matt Roberts/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike unveils a countdown display showing the number of days to go until the opening of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic 1,000 Days Countdown event on October 28, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Source: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images AsiaPac)
In this picture taken on October 18, 2017, Tokyo Governor and leader of the Party of Hope Yuriko Koike (C) raises the hand of party candidate Yoshinori Yoshida (R) during an election campaign in Saitama.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears poised to secure a fresh term at the helm of the world's third-biggest economy Sunday, as he seeks a mandate for his nationalist agenda and hardline stance on North Korea.
(Source: AFP)
Tokyo Governor and leader of the Party of Hope Yuriko Koike (R) waves to the audience beside her party candidate Yoshiko Ichikawa (L) during an election campaign in Kawasaki, suburb of Tokyo, on October 12, 2017.Japan will hold a snap election on October 22 in a verdict to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's nearly five years of reign since late 2012.
(Source: AFP)
Daisuke Maeda (C) shake hands with Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike (R) during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games 2 Years To Go countdown ceremony at Mega Web on August 25, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Source: Getty Images AsiaPac)
1 Chome-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida, Tokyo 131-0045, Japan
Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike speaks on stage during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Two Years To Go Ceremony at Tokyo Skytree on July 24, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan.
(July 23, 2018 - Source: Matt Roberts/Getty Images AsiaPac)
She enrolled at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, where she studied Arabic and sociology. The decision was partly due to her father. "Japan can only survive with the help of oil imports from the Arab countries," he had told her. "Even though we are so dependent on the Arab countries, the Japanese don't understand them." In 1976, she became the second Japanese national to graduate from the university, earning a bachelor degree in sociology.
Yuriko Koike is a Japanese politician who currently serves as the governor of Tokyo. She was a member of the House of Representatives of Japan from 1993 to 2016 (when she resigned to run in the Tokyo gubernatorial election), and was previously the Minister of Defense in the cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, but resigned in August 2007 after only 54 days in office. On 31 July 2016, Koike was elected Governor of Tokyo.
Background
Yuriko Koike was born on July 15, 1952, in Ashiya, Hyōgo, a wealthy, small, city near Kobe. Her father, Yūjirō Koike, was a foreign trade merchant who handled oil products. He was also involved in politics, supporting Shintarō Ishihara and the Tatenokai in the 1960s, and ran unsuccessfully for national election in 1969.
As a child, she came into contact with foreigners and their customs and traditions.
Education
Koike went to Kōnan Girls' Junior and Senior High School for her secondary education.
She dropped out of a sociology course at Kwansei Gakuin University in western Japan in 1971 and enrolled at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, where she studied Arabic and sociology. The decision was partly due to her father. "Japan can only survive with the help of oil imports from the Arab countries," he had told her. "Even though we are so dependent on the Arab countries, the Japanese don't understand them." In 1976, she became the second Japanese national to graduate from the university, earning a bachelor degree in sociology.
Yuriko Koike began to work as an interpreter of Arabic and later became a journalist, interviewing Muammar Gaddafi and Yasser Arafat in 1978, and becoming a news anchor in 1979.
Koike was elected to the House of Councillors in 1992 as a member of the Japan New Party. She was then elected to the House of Representatives in 1993, representing the Hyogo 2nd district. In 1996, she was re-elected to the House of Representatives, this time representing the Hyogo 6th district for the New Frontier Party. She held this seat in the 2000 election as a candidate of the New Conservative Party. She joined the Liberal Democratic Party in 2002. She also has been a regular contributor to Project Syndicate since 2010.
She served as the Minister of the Environment and Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Jun'ichirō Koizumi. Along with Satsuki Katayama and Makiko Fujino, Koike became known as one of Koizumi's "assassins" in the 2005 Lower House election, running in Tokyo against an LDP hardliner candidate who opposed Koizumi's policies.
She was appointed the first female Minister of Defense in June 2007 during the first term of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but announced in August 2007 that she intended to resign from the post, citing the Aegis classified information leak scandal as a reason. Koike later hinted that the much-publicized fight she had had with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki over a vice-minister replacement was the real reason, as the opposition would use that to oppose a bill on Japan's terrorism laws.
On 8 September 2008, she launched her bid to become president of the LDP and became the first woman ever to seek the premiership in Japan's history. In the leadership election, held on 22 September, Tarō Asō won with 351 of the 527 votes; Koike placed third with 46 votes.
Following the resignation of Tokyo governor Naoki Inose in December 2013, Koike was widely rumored to be a potential candidate for the gubernatorial election expected to be held in February 2014, along with Hideo Higashikokubaru, Hakubun Shimomura, Seiko Hashimoto and Yōichi Masuzoe. She ultimately did not run, and Masuzoe won.
After Masuzoe announced his resignation in June 2016, Koike announced her intention to run in the election for his successor. Koike stated that she would run "as an LDP lawmaker" but did not obtain the approval of the Tokyo LDP chapter before announcing her candidacy. The LDP officially endorsed Hiroya Masuda, and its Tokyo chapter issued a notice that any members supporting Koike would be punished. Nonetheless, several prominent LDP politicians continued to back Koike, while senior leaders such as Shinzo Abe refrained from making speeches in support of either candidate.
Koike was elected Governor of Tokyo on 31 July 2016, becoming the first woman in the post.
On August 21, 2016, at the 2016 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, Koike received the Olympic Flag, via Thomas Bach, from the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes.
On 31 May 2017, in advance of the upcoming local elections, Koike resigned from the Liberal Democratic Party and officially became the leader of Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First). Koike founded the group in 2016 in preparation for the elections and formed an alliance with Komeito in an effort to secure a governing majority in Tokyo's parliament. On July 3, 2017, the alliance took a majority in the prefectural election, pushing out the Liberal Democratic Party with a combined 79 seats of the 127-seat assembly.
Koike supports economic liberalism, promotes administrative and budgetary reform, and insists on further advancement of the status of women in the working world. In promising the pursuit of women-friendly policies, she has stated, "I believe that pushing policies for women will be good for Tokyo and bring happiness to the capital." Her stated basic principles and stance regarding political reform are encompassed by "The 5 Cs: Check, Challenge, Change, Creative and Communication". In terms of the economy, she has used for aggressive privatization of Japanese assets to diminish the government's debt burden. A strong turn towards IT development, natural sciences, sustainable infrastructure, and efficiency-based administrative reforms for public services were also on the docket.
Conservative nationalism. As a conservative nationalist, she belonged to the Diet members' league to support the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform. Koike was one of the five vice secretaries general of the Diet Members' Committee of Nippon Kaigi, the country's largest conservative think tank and the main historical revisionist lobby, once chaired by Tarō Asō. She is also known to have powerful ties to large conservative political groups, like the Japan Conference.
Position on Article 9. Her foreign and security policies are often regarded as hawkish. She suggested that the prime minister revise the interpretation of Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan to enable the government to exercise the right to collective self-defense.
She has supported the United States and the War on Terror and opposes the Japanese government's tradition of UN-centered foreign policy. However, she has sent mixed messages to the United States in terms of destabilizing the Middle East with democratization efforts. On the other hand, showing parts of the world how powerful the United States is as an ally is a priority. During the 2008 LDP leadership election, she pledged to make Russia return the four disputed islands to Japan if she was elected as prime minister. Overall, Koike is a diplomatic leader. Back in 2010, she helped strengthen ties between Libya's Muammar Quaddafi and Japan. This led to the creation of the Japan-Libya Friendship Association.
In 2017, Koike launched and led a new national political party. It was called Kibō no Tō, which means "Party of Hope". Although still Governor of Tokyo, she was the primary leader of this party. It was assumed that this party could have been the main opposition to the LDP. On October 22, 2017, the Party of Hope did not perform as well at the polls as expected. Koike's overarching policies were similar to those of current Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The policy to set them apart was their differing opinions on nuclear energy. Koike was opposed to it as an advocate of the environment. Koike did not join any successor party to the Party of Hope at its April 2018 dissolution.
Views
Environmentalism. Having learned an environmental way of life from her own experience of wartime austerities in Egypt, Koike addresses environmental issues. She expressed the idea of introducing a carbon tax in 2005 so that Japan might achieve the goals of the Kyoto Protocol. The next year, she inaugurated the "Mottainai Furoshiki" campaign, which urges shoppers to use furoshiki in place of plastic shopping bags. She is against the use of biofuels made from food crops.
Koike has also actively promoted Japanese pop culture, appearing in cosplay as Sally from Sally the Witch in 2015, and stating during her 2016 Tokyo gubernatorial campaign that she wanted to turn all of Tokyo into an "anime land".
Quotations:
"I have received the enthusiastic support of my colleagues. In order to break through the deadlock facing Japanese society, I believe the country might as well have a female candidate. Hillary used the word 'glass ceiling' ... but in Japan, it isn't glass, it's an iron plate. I'm not Mrs. Thatcher, but what is needed is a strategy that advances a cause with conviction, clear policies and sympathy with the people."
Membership
Koike is a member of Japan Arab Association.
Personality
Physical Characteristics:
Eye color - black
Hair color - black
Interests
Politicians
Hillary Clinton, Margaret Thatcher
Connections
When she was 21, she married a fellow Japanese student but divorced soon after.