Yuriko Koike facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yuriko Koike
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小池 百合子
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Official portrait, c. 2017
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| Governor of Tokyo | |
| Assumed office 1 August 2016 |
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| Deputy | Mitsuchika Tarao Hiroshi Kajihara Kei Takechi Manabu Miyasaka |
| Preceded by | Yōichi Masuzoe |
| Minister of Defense | |
| In office 4 July 2007 – 27 August 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Shinzo Abe |
| Preceded by | Fumio Kyūma |
| Succeeded by | Masahiko Kōmura |
| Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs | |
| In office 27 September 2004 – 26 September 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Junichiro Koizumi |
| Preceded by | Toshimitsu Motegi |
| Succeeded by | Sanae Takaichi |
| Minister of the Environment | |
| In office 22 September 2003 – 26 September 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Junichiro Koizumi |
| Preceded by | Shunichi Suzuki |
| Succeeded by | Masatoshi Wakabayashi |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 19 July 1993 – 14 July 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | Masaru Wakasa |
| Constituency | Hyōgo 2nd (1993–1996) Hyōgo 6th (1996–2003) Kinki PR (2003–2005) Tokyo 10th (2005–2009; 2012–2016) Tokyo PR (2009–2012) |
| Member of the House of Councillors | |
| In office 26 July 1992 – 4 July 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | Masaru Wakasa |
| Constituency | National PR |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 July 1952 Ashiya, Hyōgo, Japan |
| Political party | Independent (since 2018) |
| Other political affiliations |
JNP (1992–1994) NFP (1994–1997) LP (1997–2000) NCP (2000–2003) LDP (2003–2017) TFnK (2017) PoH (2017–2018) |
| Alma mater | Kwansei Gakuin University American University in Cairo Cairo University |
Yuriko Koike (小池 百合子, Koike Yuriko; born 15 July 1952) is a Japanese politician. She has been the Governor of Tokyo since 2016. Before becoming governor, she was a member of Japan's parliament. She served in the House of Councillors from 1992 to 1993. Then, she was a member of the House of Representatives from 1993 to 2016.
Koike also held important roles in the government. She was the Minister of the Environment from 2003 to 2006. She also briefly served as Minister of Defense in 2007.
She was born in Ashiya, a city near Kobe in Hyōgo Prefecture. Koike studied at Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt. She graduated in 1976. In 2016, she was elected Governor of Tokyo. She was the first woman to hold this position. She was re-elected in 2020 and 2024.
Koike is a very well-known politician in Japan. She has often been thought of as someone who might become Prime Minister. In 2008, she ran to lead the Liberal Democratic Party. She was the first woman to run for the leadership of a major Japanese political party.
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Early Life and Education
Yuriko Koike was born on 15 July 1952 in Ashiya, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture. She went to Kōnan Girls' Junior and Senior High School. Her father, Yūjirō Koike, was a merchant who traded oil products. He was also interested in politics.
Yūjirō taught Yuriko that Japan needed strong ties with Arab countries. This was important to make sure Japan had enough oil. In September 1971, she left Kwansei Gakuin University. She then went to study Arabic at the American University in Cairo. She later graduated from Cairo University in October 1976.
When she was 21, she got married but divorced soon after. She started working as an interpreter for Arabic. Later, she became a journalist. In 1978, she interviewed famous leaders like Muammar Gaddafi and Yasser Arafat. In 1979, she became a news anchor. She won the Female Broadcaster of Japan award in 1990.
Her Time at Cairo University
There have been questions about her graduation from Cairo University. However, in June 2020, Cairo University stated that "Cairo University certifies that Yuriko Koike... graduated from the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University in October 1976." This statement confirmed her graduation.
Political Journey
After her studies, Koike began her political career. She was elected to the House of Councillors in 1992. She was a member of the Japan New Party. In 1993, she was elected to the House of Representatives. She represented the Hyogo 2nd district.
She was re-elected to the House of Representatives in 1996. This time, she represented the Hyogo 6th district for the New Frontier Party. She kept this seat in the 2000 election. She was a candidate for the New Conservative Party. In 2002, she joined the Liberal Democratic Party.
Serving in the Cabinet (2003–2007)
Koike served as the Minister of the Environment. She was also the Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs. These roles were in the government of Prime Minister Jun'ichirō Koizumi.
In June 2007, she became the first female Minister of Defense. This was during Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's first term. She resigned from this role in August 2007.
Running for LDP Leader in 2008
On 8 September 2008, Koike decided to run for the leader of the LDP. She was the first woman in Japan's history to try to become Prime Minister. She said, "I believe the country might as well have a female candidate." She compared the challenge to a "glass ceiling" in other countries, but in Japan, she called it an "iron plate." In the election, she came in third place.
Governor of Tokyo
After the previous Tokyo Governor resigned in 2016, Koike announced she would run. She said she would run as a lawmaker from the LDP. However, she did not get the official support of the Tokyo LDP group. The LDP officially supported another candidate. Still, many important LDP politicians supported Koike.
Koike was elected Governor of Tokyo on 31 July 2016. She made history as the first woman to hold this position. On 21 August 2016, at the 2016 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, Koike received the Olympic Flag. She got it from the mayor of Rio de Janeiro. This was a symbol of Tokyo hosting the next Olympics.
In May 2017, Koike left the Liberal Democratic Party. She became the leader of Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First). This was a group she started in 2016. Her group formed an alliance with another party, Komeito. Their goal was to win a majority in Tokyo's parliament. On 3 July 2017, their alliance won a majority of seats.
Koike worked with Shinzo Abe's government during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. She led Tokyo's response to the pandemic. She also oversaw the decision to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics to 2021.
In August 2022, the Governor of Jakarta, Anies Baswedan, visited Koike. They talked about working together on things like public transportation. Koike also announced that Tokyo would start using the world's fastest mobile internet network.
Koike ran her campaigns based on "seven zeros." These were goals to solve problems in Tokyo. She was able to reduce the number of children waiting for daycare. She also cut down the number of dogs and cats that were euthanized. However, some critics say other goals, like reducing crowded trains, have not been fully met.
In August 2024, Koike fractured her left knee. This happened while she was making a ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game. She had to work from home for a while.
Political Ideas
Koike supports economic liberalism. This means she believes in less government control over the economy. She also wants to improve the status of women in the workplace. She has said that policies for women will be good for Tokyo.
Her main ideas for political reform are called "The 5 Cs": Check, Challenge, Change, Creative, and Communication. She also wants to sell off some government-owned assets. This would help reduce Japan's debt. She also supports developing technology and efficient public services.
Caring for the Environment
Koike cares a lot about environmental issues. She learned about living simply from her experiences in Egypt. In 2005, she suggested a carbon tax. This tax would help Japan meet its goals for the Kyoto Protocol. In 2006, she started the "Mottainai Furoshiki" campaign. This campaign encourages people to use furoshiki (traditional Japanese wrapping cloths) instead of plastic shopping bags. She does not support using biofuels made from food crops.
Views on Japan's Constitution
Koike's foreign and security policies are often seen as strong. She has suggested changing how Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan is understood. This would allow Japan's government to use the right to collective self-defense.
She has supported the United States and the War on Terror. She also wants to strengthen ties between Japan and other countries. For example, in 2010, she helped improve relations between Libya and Japan. This led to the creation of the Japan-Libya Friendship Association.
Other Interests
Koike has also promoted Japanese pop culture. In 2015, she dressed up in cosplay as Sally from Sally the Witch. During her 2016 campaign, she said she wanted to turn all of Tokyo into an "anime land."
In July 2017, Koike started "Jisa Biz" (時差biz). This plan encourages remote work and different work times. The goal is to reduce traffic congestion during morning rush hour in Tokyo.
In 2017, Koike started a new national political party called Kibō no Tō, or "Party of Hope". She was the main leader of this party while still Governor of Tokyo. The party did not do as well as expected in the 2017 election. Koike's policies were similar to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's. However, they disagreed on nuclear energy, as Koike was against it.
In 2023, Forbes magazine listed her among the "World's 100 most powerful women."
See also
In Spanish: Yuriko Koike para niños
