Tokyo elects Yuriko Koike as first female governor

Former Defence Minister Yuriko Koike has been elected governor of Tokyo, the first woman to lead Japan's capital.
Ms Koike, running as an independent candidate, received more than 2.9 million votes in Sunday's election, beating her opponents by a wide margin.
One of her key challenges will be curbing the financial problems plaguing Tokyo's preparations to host the 2020 Olympic Games.
Both her predecessors resigned over funding scandals

"I will lead Tokyo politics in an unprecedented manner, a Tokyo you have never seen," Ms Koike, 64, told cheering supporters.
"While feeling the weight of this result, I want to thoroughly push the metropolitan government forward as the new governor."
Ms Koike's lead in the polls has annoyed Liberal Democrat Party grandees, with former Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara, the father of the local LDP federation chairman, telling voters: "We cannot leave Tokyo to a woman with too much make-up."
Her supporters were disgusted by what they called a sexist remark, but after decades in Japan's male-dominated political theatre, Ms Koike laughed it off: "I am used to it."

In all, 21 contenders were vying to lead the sprawling capital and a number of other cities in the prefecture.
Ms Koike, politician Hiroya Masuda and journalist Shuntaro Torigoe were the front-runners. Mr Masuda obtained nearly 1.8 million votes while Mr Torigoe received 1.3 million, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Election Administration Commission..