Now that Yuriko Koike, the first female governor of Tokyo, has won re-election in a landslide, gender experts hope she will take the lead in better reflecting women's views in government and increasing female representation in Japan's male-dominated politics.
Given that coronavirus and the postponed Olympics and Paralympics were the prime agenda for Sunday's gubernatorial election, voters heard little about women's empowerment from Koike and other candidates, except the governor's call for a Tokyo "where children and women can shine."
Koike did speak out about women's issues during the last election in July 2016, following the emergence that year of foreign female political leaders such as Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and then-British Prime Minister Theresa May.