Junko Mihara, a 50-year-old actress-turned-politician in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, celebrated victory with supporters at her campaign office in Yokohama on Sunday night after hearing she had almost certainly won a seat. She ran in a Kanagawa constituency where 12 candidates competed for four seats.
Supporters cheered as Mihara appeared at her office.
"I want to reduce women's burdens, such as raising children and nursing care," she declared in front of about 200 people.
Meanwhile, 41-year-old Nobuhiro Miura of Komeito held cheers with about 60 supporters at his office in Yokohama, after learning that he, too, was set to win a seat for the first time in the same Kanagawa constituency.
