Yuriko Koike becomes first female governor of Tokyo

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Tokyo : Yuriko Koike has been elected as the first female governor of Tokyo. She claimed victory after receiving more than 2.9 million votes, far outpacing the nearly 1.8 million ballots cast for closest challenger Hiroya Masuda.

Masuda, a former governor of Iwate prefecture in northern Japan, was one of the favourite candidates of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner.

"I fought this race without support from the party, and people joked I was like the sole player in a theatre company," Koike told reporters after winning the poll.

Key Points:

• Tokyo found its first female governor after Yuriko Koike registered landslide victory.

• She received nothing less than 2.9 million votes during the poll, defeating Hiroya Masuda who managed to get 1.8 million ballots cast.

• Masuda was one of the favourite candidates of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner.

• The election was called after previous governor Yoichi Masuzoe resigned over a financial scandal involving the lavish use of public funds on hotels and spa trips.

• A key challenge facing Koike will be to get a grip on Tokyo's troubled path to hosting the 2020 Summer Olympics, which has been plagued by scandals and cost overruns.