ITAMI, Hyogo Pref. -- While many Japanese politicians claim knowledge of or interest in Middle Eastern affairs, few if any can match the credentials of Lower House member Yuriko Koike of the Liberal Democratic Party.
The 51-year-old Koike attended Cairo University and has worked as an Arabic language interpreter. She travels regularly to the Middle East and is the president of the Japan-Arab Parliamentary League, making her one of the Japanese political world's most well-informed experts on the region.
For Koike, the path to politics began in 1991, when she was working as a television newscaster dealing with a host of political and economic issues.