Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike’s triumph in the gubernatorial election on Sunday was predictable, but the sheer size of her towering margin of victory could serve as a steppingstone in her road back to national politics.
While Koike has never said so herself, it’s an unspoken assumption in Tokyo politics that she has her sights set on one day returning to the Diet and becoming the country’s first female prime minister.
“Every politician wishes they could become prime minister,” said Kenneth McElwain, a professor of comparative contemporary politics at the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Social Science. “Not everyone has the opportunity. Koike does.”