Yuriko Koike
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Yuriko Koike | |
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小池 百合子 | |
House of Councillors | |
In office 26 July 1992 – 4 July 1993 | |
Constituency | Proportional district |
Personal details | |
Born | PoH (2017–2018) | 15 July 1952
Alma mater | Kwansei Gakuin University American University in Cairo Cairo University |
Website | Official website |
Yuriko Koike (小池 百合子, Koike Yuriko, born 15 July 1952) is a Japanese politician, who has served as the
Considered one of the most high-profile and well-known Japanese politicians,
Koike has come under some scrutiny from Japanese liberals and Koreans in both Japan and the Koreas for her refusal to acknowledge the occurrence of 1923 Kantō Massacre, which mainly targeted ethnic Koreans, as well as her association with groups that are often labeled anti-Korean.[6]
Early life and education
Born and raised in
Graduation from Cairo University
Koike has been alleged several times of falsifying her credentials, particularly regarding her graduation from Cairo University. In June 2020, Cairo University released a statement "Cairo University certifies that Yuriko Koike...graduated from the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University in October 1976," denying the allegations.[12]
While allegations that she had committed job fraud first surfaced during 1992,[13] they were more widely reported during the 2016 Tokyo gubernatorial elections, and first reported by the news program Tokudane!. Koike sent her graduation certificate to the program in response to the allegations.[14][15] In January 2018, a woman who claimed to have been Koike's roommate at Cairo University wrote to the Japanese monthly magazine Bungei Shunjū after reading an article on Koike.[16][17][13] In 2024, the magazine published an article on their website, including a video where Toshiro Kojima, a lawyer and former aide of Koike, said that he helped to falsify Koike's academic credentials including drafting a fake graduation document.[18] Koike has denied the allegations.[19]
Career in politics
Koike was elected to the
Cabinet service (2003–2007)
She served as the
She was appointed the first female Minister of Defense in June 2007 during the first term of Prime Minister
2008 LDP leadership election
On 8 September 2008, she launched her bid to become president of the LDP and became the
Governor of Tokyo
Following the resignation of Tokyo governor Naoki Inose in December 2013, Koike was widely rumored to be a potential candidate for the gubernatorial election expected to be held in February 2014, along with Hideo Higashikokubaru, Hakubun Shimomura, Seiko Hashimoto and Yōichi Masuzoe.[26] She ultimately did not run, and Masuzoe won.
After Masuzoe announced his resignation in June 2016, Koike announced her intention to run in the election for his successor. Koike stated that she would run "as an LDP lawmaker" but did not obtain the approval of the Tokyo LDP chapter before announcing her candidacy.[27] The LDP officially endorsed Hiroya Masuda, and its Tokyo chapter issued a notice that any members supporting Koike would be punished. Nonetheless, several prominent LDP politicians continued to back Koike, while senior leaders such as Shinzo Abe refrained from making speeches in support of either candidate.[28]
Koike was elected Governor of Tokyo on 31 July 2016, becoming the first woman in the post.[29]
On 21 August 2016, at the
On 31 May 2017, in advance of the upcoming local elections, Koike resigned from the Liberal Democratic Party and officially became the leader of Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First). Koike founded the group in 2016 in preparation for the elections and formed an alliance with Komeito in an effort to secure a governing majority in Tokyo's parliament.[30] On 3 July 2017, the alliance took a majority in the prefectural election, pushing out the Liberal Democratic Party with a combined 79 seats of the 127-seat assembly.[31]
In March 2020, Koike announced that the country will postponed the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to 2021 amid two prime ministers Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga both led the government handling response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.[32]
On 14 August 2022, Governor of Jakarta Anies Baswedan paid a working visit to Japan to meet with his counterpart from Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, to discuss the potential for cooperation in several fields, including for environment-friendly public transportation. Baswedan posted a picture of the meeting with Koike at the Tokyo City Hall accompanied by several delegates on his personal Instagram account. However, the governor did not furnish further details on the potential for cooperation between the two cities and the length of his stay in Japan. However, Baswedan did invite Koike to attend the Urban 20 forum as a G20 side event in Jakarta at the end of August 2022. He later noted that Tokyo and Jakarta were sister cities, with longstanding relations. Hence, the meeting offered momentum to demonstrate commitment to intensifying relations between the two metropolitan cities.[33]
Koike announced on 29 August 2022, that Tokyo will begin implementation of the world’s fastest mobile internet network. Leading the charge is Manabu Miyasaka, the newly appointed counselor to the governor on digital transformation of Tokyo, and former chairman of Yahoo! Japan Corporation.[34]
Koike ran her platform based on seven zeros, which were basically socio-economic problems faced by residents of Tokyo. Out of these goals, she was able to reduce the number of children on the waitlist to get admission in day care and cutting down the number of euthanized dogs and cats. However, critics say other issues like tackling the overwork culture, reducing crowding on rush hour trains, and getting rid of above-ground electricity poles have not yet been achieved.[35]
Political positions
Part of a series on |
Conservatism in Japan |
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Koike supports economic liberalism, promotes administrative and budgetary reform, and insists on further advancement of the status of women in the working world. In promising the pursuit of women-friendly policies, she has stated, "I believe that pushing policies for women will be good for Tokyo and bring happiness to the capital." Her stated basic principles and stance regarding political reform are encompassed by "The 5 Cs: Check, Challenge, Change, Creative and Communication".[36] In terms of the economy, she has used for aggressive privatization of Japanese assets to diminish the government's debt burden. A strong turn towards IT development, natural sciences, sustainable infrastructure, and efficiency-based administrative reforms for public services were also on the docket.[37] She is also one of the main figures in Japan's right-wing populist camp.[38][39][40] She is also sometimes referred to as "ultraconservative".[41]
Environmentalism
Having learned an environmental way of life from her own experience of wartime austerities in Egypt,[8] Koike addresses environmental issues. She expressed the idea of introducing a carbon tax in 2005 so that Japan might achieve the goals of the Kyoto Protocol.[42] The next year, she inaugurated the "Mottainai Furoshiki" campaign, which urges shoppers to use furoshiki in place of plastic shopping bags.[43] She is against the use of biofuels made from food crops.[44]
Nationalism and associated controversy
As a nationalist, Koike was one of the five vice secretaries general of the Diet Members' Committee of Nippon Kaigi, the country's largest conservative think tank and the main nationalist lobby, once chaired by Tarō Asō. She is also known to have powerful ties to other large conservative political groups.[citation needed]
As governor of Tokyo, she has been criticized for years by Japanese liberals and Koreans in both Japan and the Koreas for refusing to acknowledge the occurrence of the 1923 Kantō Massacre, which mainly targeted ethnic Koreans.[6][45][46][47] Beginning in 2017, Koike broke decades of precedent by previous mayors by refusing to offer condolences to the descendants of survivors at an annual ceremony. She has since justified this by saying that whether a massacre occurred is a matter of historical debate.[48][47]
Koike's possible affiliation with a
Position on Article 9
Her foreign and security policies are often regarded as hawkish.[20][50][51] She suggested that the prime minister revise the interpretation of Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan to enable the government to exercise the right to collective self-defense.[50][52]
She has supported the United States and the
Other positions
Koike has also actively promoted Japanese pop culture, appearing in cosplay as Sally from Sally the Witch in 2015, and stating during her 2016 Tokyo gubernatorial campaign that she wanted to turn all of Tokyo into an "anime land".[55]
Koike initiated "Jisa Biz" (時差biz) in July 2017 to promote remote work and staggered work times to reduce traffic congestion during the morning rush hour in Tokyo.[56]
In 2017, Koike launched and led a new national political party. It was called
References
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- ^ 開票速報|2020都知事選(東京都知事選挙). The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Yuriko Koike Elected Governor of Tokyo, First Woman in Post". The Wall Street Journal. 31 July 2016. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
- ^ "Tokyo Governor Koike: no intention at all to return to national politics". Reuters. 9 July 2021. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
- ^ a b 올해 100주기인 조선인 간토대학살...일본 도쿄도지사 또 '모르쇠'. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). 23 February 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ Asahi ShimbunMorning Edition, 24 August 2008.
- ^ a b "Kikase te Anata no Mottainai", Shufu-to-Seikatsusha, 12 September 2006.
- ^ Masaharu Fujiyoshi. "Koike Yuriko Kenkyū", Shūkan Bunshun, Bungeishunjū, 20 October 2005.
- ^ "Koike Yuriko Fūin no Nijūissai", Flash, vol. 1020, Kobunsha, September 2008.
- ^ "10 things about Tokyo's new governor Yuriko Koike". The Straits Times. 1 August 2016. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- ^ "Cairo University Certifies Tokyo Gov. Koike's graduation". ARAB NEWS. 10 June 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ OCLC 1157252462.
- ^ "「カイロ大学卒業は嘘」小池百合子東京都知事の学歴詐称疑惑 元同居人が詳細証言 | 文春オンライン". web.archive.org. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "小池都知事の告発状郵送 学歴詐称疑いで - 社会 : 日刊スポーツ". web.archive.org. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ 「文藝春秋」編集部. "【文藝春秋 目次】創刊95周年記念[完全保存版]/<大型企画>文藝春秋を彩った95人/<対談>小泉純一郎×笹川陽平 | 文藝春秋 2018年1月号". 文春オンライン (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ 「文藝春秋」編集部. "「小池百合子さんはカイロ大学を卒業していません」と元同居女性が証言". 文春オンライン (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ 敏郎, 小島 (9 April 2024). "「私は学歴詐称工作に加担してしまった」小池百合子都知事 元側近の爆弾告発". 文藝春秋 電子版. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ Inoue, Yukana (12 April 2024). "Tokyo Gov. Koike denies claim she falsified academic credentials". The Japan Times. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ a b "'Japan's Condi Rice' known for courting controversy Archived June 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine", The Japan Times, 5 July 2007.
- ^ プロフィール [Profile]. 小池ゆりこ オフィシャルサイト [Yuriko Koike's Official Website] (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- from the original on 27 May 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ^ "Resigning Koike criticizes opposition" Archived 16 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine, JapanNewsReview.com; accessed 18 June 2015.
- ^ Japan PM contender sees "iron" barrier for women Archived 4 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine, reuters.com; accessed 18 June 2015.
- ^ "Aso elected LDP head" Archived 25 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine, yomiuri.co.jp, 22 September 2008.
- ^ 猪瀬知事が辞職表明「都政を停滞させられない」. The Nikkei (in Japanese). 19 December 2013. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2013. 自民党の石破茂幹事長は19日午前、東京都連幹部と協議し、年内の候補者決定を目指す方針を確認した。党内では小池百合子元防衛相や下村博文文部科学相、橋本聖子参院議員らの名前が取り沙汰されている。7月の参院選への出馬を見送った元新党改革代表の舛添要一氏、日本維新の会を離党して衆院議員を辞職した東国原英夫氏らの名前も浮上している。
- ^ "LDP's Koike prepared to run in Tokyo governor's race". The Asahi Shimbun. 29 June 2016. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ^ "Ruling camp keeps low profile in Tokyo race". The Yomiuri Shimbun. 19 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ^ "Yuriko Koike Elected Governor of Tokyo, First Woman in Post". The Wall Street Journal. 31 July 2016. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
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- ^ Shimbun, The Yomiuri. "Koike camp gets majority". The Japan News. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ 「何の意味があったのか」都民に困惑、第2波不安 東京アラート終了. Tokyo Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ Bhwana, Petir Garda. "Jakarta Governor Visits Japan to Discuss Cooperation in Transportation". Tempo (Indonesian magazine). Retrieved 15 August 2022.
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- ^ Takahashi, Ryusei (6 July 2020). "Koike cruises to win in Tokyo governor race, vowing to continue fight against virus". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ Koike Yuriko Kihon Rinen Archived 6 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine Koike Yuriko official website.(in Japanese)
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But some are already labeling the current Tokyo governor a populist, which is often a euphemism for a far-right politician. Koike has garnered significant public support by promising to move away from nuclear power and to halt consumer tax hikes.
- ^ "Why is populism so unpopular in Japan?". Al Jazeera. 10 June 2021. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ^ Spremberg, Felix (25 November 2020). "How Japan's Left is repeating its unfortunate history". International Politics & Society Journal. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
While the DPJ had noticeably shifted to the left in the preceding years, Koike comes from the same ultraconservative establishment as former prime minister Abe.
- ^ "Koike pledges to push carbon tax to meet goals under Kyoto Protocol" Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, japantimes.co.jp, 6 November 2005.
- ^ "Minister Koike created the 'Mottainai Furoshiki'" Archived 16 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine, env.go.jp; accessed 18 June 2015.
- ^ Mainichi Shimbun Morning Edition, 11 March 2008.
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- ^ Nishimura, Naomi; Kitano, Ryuichi (2 September 2020). "Koike under fire as memorial held for Koreans slain in Tokyo in 1923". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ a b c Adelstein, Jake (19 October 2017). "The Pride And (Anti-Korean) Prejudice Of Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike Is A Big Problem". Forbes. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Tokyo gov. skips 1923 Korean massacre anniv. eulogy for 2nd year, raising denial worries". Mainichi Daily News. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ 小池百合子氏、在特会の関連団体での講演を指摘され「よく存じておりません」. Huffington Post (in Japanese). 8 July 2016. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
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- ^ Ashcraft, Brian (18 July 2016). "Let's Turn Tokyo Into Anime Land, Says Politician". Archived from the original on 19 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ^ "Tokyo launches 'Jisa Biz' campaign to relieve peak-hour commuter rush". The Straits Times. 11 July 2017. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
External links
- Koike Yuriko Official Website
- Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet – Profile
- Yuriko Koike appointed new Defense Minister