With Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike's newly established Kibo no To (Party of Hope) expected to become a major force in the House of Representatives after the Oct. 22 general election, her prospective foreign and security policies have begun to attract attention.
Should Koike, thought to have an ambition to become Japan's first female prime minister, come to influence policymaking at the national level, some experts suspect her diplomatic stance would have negative implications for the country's ties with South Korea and China.
Koike, a former TV anchorwoman, has been regarded as a right-leaning conservative, given that she is supportive of amending the Constitution and making the nation's defense system more muscular, analysts say.