Japan New Party
Which party was Yuriko Koike a member of from 1992 to 1994?
Yuriko Koike Early life and education . Born and raised in Ashiya , Hyōgo , a wealthy , small , city near Kobe , Koike went to Kōnan Girls Junior and Senior High School for her secondary education . Her father , Yūjirō Koike , was a foreign trade merchant who handled oil products . He was also involved in politics , supporting Shintarō Ishihara and the Tatenokai in the 1960s , and ran unsuccessfully for national election in 1969 . Yūjirō emphasised to Yuriko that it was essential for Japan to strengthen relations with Arab countries to ensure a stable petroleum supply to prevent Japan being thrust into an oil war again the future . After dropping out of Kwansei Gakuin Universitys School of Sociology in September 1971 , she went on to study Arabic at the American University in Cairo and received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology as the top student from Cairo University in October 1976 . When she was 21 , she married a fellow Japanese student but divorced soon after . She began to work as an interpreter of Arabic and later became a journalist , interviewing Muammar Gaddafi and Yasser Arafat in 1978 , and becoming a news anchor in 1979 . She received the Female Broadcaster of Japan award in 1990 . Career in politics . Koike was elected to the House of Councillors in 1992 as a member of the Japan New Party . She was then elected to the House of Representatives in 1993 , representing the Hyogo 2nd district . In 1996 , she was re-elected to the House of Representatives , this time representing the Hyogo 6th district for the New Frontier Party . She held this seat in the 2000 election as a candidate of the New Conservative Party . She joined the Liberal Democratic Party in 2002 . She also has been a regular contributor to Project Syndicate since 2010 . Cabinet service ( 2003-2007 ) . She served as the Minister of the Environment and Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichirō Koizumi . Along with Satsuki Katayama and Makiko Fujino , Koike became known as one of Koizumis assassins in the 2005 Lower House election , running in Tokyo against an LDP hardliner candidate who opposed Koizumis policies . She was appointed the first female Minister of Defense in June 2007 during the first term of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe , but announced in August 2007 that she intended to resign from the post , citing the Aegis classified information leak scandal as a reason . Koike later hinted that the much-publicized fight she had had with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki over a vice-minister replacement was the real reason , as the opposition would use that to oppose a bill on Japans terrorism laws . 2008 LDP leadership election . On 8 September 2008 , she launched her bid to become president of the LDP and became the first woman ever to seek the premiership in Japans history : I have received the enthusiastic support of my colleagues . In order to break through the deadlock facing Japanese society , I believe the country might as well have a female candidate . Hillary used the word glass ceiling .. . but in Japan , it isnt glass , its an iron plate . Im not Mrs . Thatcher , but what is needed is a strategy that advances a cause with conviction , clear policies and sympathy with the people . In the leadership election , held on 22 September , Tarō Asō won with 351 of the 527 votes ; Koike placed third with 46 votes . Governor of Tokyo ( 2016–present ) . 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 . 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 . 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 . Koike was elected Governor of Tokyo on 31 July 2016 , becoming the first woman in the post . On August 21 , 2016 , at the 2016 Summer Olympics closing ceremony , Koike received the Olympic Flag , via Thomas Bach , from the mayor of Rio de Janeiro , Eduardo Paes . 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 Tokyos parliament . On July 3 , 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 . 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 . Political positions . 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 . In terms of the economy , she has used for aggressive privatization of Japanese assets to diminish the governments 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 . Environmentalism . Having learned an environmental way of life from her own experience of wartime austerities in Egypt , 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 . The next year , she inaugurated the Mottainai Furoshiki campaign , which urges shoppers to use furoshiki in place of plastic shopping bags . She is against the use of biofuels made from food crops . Conservative nationalism . As a conservative nationalist , she belonged to the Diet members league to support the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform . Koike was one of the five vice secretaries general of the Diet Members Committee of Nippon Kaigi , the countrys 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 . She was a member of the Diet members group to promote Yasukuni Shrine visits , led by Yoshinobu Shimamura , and goes to pay her respects to the war dead at the shrine on War-End Day , 15 August , almost every year . Not being able to visit in 2007 due to an official trip to Okinawa , she sent her proxy . Position on Article 9 . Her foreign and security policies are often regarded as hawkish . 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 . She has supported the United States and the War on Terror and opposes the Japanese governments tradition of UN-centered foreign policy . However , she has sent mixed messages to the United States in terms of destabilizing the Middle East with democratization efforts . On the other hand , showing parts of the world how powerful the United States is as an ally is a priority . During the 2008 LDP leadership election , she pledged to make Russia return the four disputed islands to Japan if she was elected as prime minister . Overall , Koike is a diplomatic leader . Back in 2010 , she helped strengthen ties between Libyas Muammar Gaddafi and Japan . This led to the creation of the Japan-Libya Friendship Association . 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 . Koike initiated Jisa Biz ( 時差biz ) in July 2017 to promote telecommuting and staggered work times to reduce congestion during the morning rush hour in Tokyo . In 2017 , Koike launched and led a new national political party . It was called Kibō no Tō , which means Party of Hope . Although still Governor of Tokyo , she was the primary leader of this party . It was assumed that this party could have been the main opposition to the LDP . On October 22 , 2017 , the Party of Hope did not perform as well at the polls as expected . Koikes overarching policies were similar to those of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe . The policy to set them apart was their differing opinions on nuclear energy . Koike was opposed to it as an advocate of the environment . Koike did not join any successor party to the Party of Hope at its April 2018 dissolution . External links . - Koike Yuriko Official Website - Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet – Profile - Yuriko Koike appointed new Defense Ministe