Eight years ago Yuriko Koike became the first woman to lead Tokyo, beating her male predecessor. She won her third term Sunday and one of her closest rivals was a woman. Multiple women competing for a top political office is still rare in Japan. The country has a terrible global gender-equality ranking. But Koike’s win highlights a gradual rise in powerful female officials and a society more open to gender balance in politics. Politics in Japan is still overwhelmingly dominated by men even if a woman eventually becomes prime minister. And experts see a huge effort needed for equal representation.
