‘Dominated by old men’: Tokyo ward’s first female mayor takes on status quo

Satoko Kishimoto, the new mayor of Tokyo’s Suginami district: ‘I thought something had to change.’ Photograph: Asia Europe People's Forum/Youtube

The first female mayor of a district in Tokyo has vowed to challenge Japan’s male-dominated politics, weeks after she became one of only two women leading municipalities in the Japanese capital.

Satoko Kishimoto was elected mayor of Suginami ward last month to become the district’s first female leader in its 90-year history. The progressive candidate beat the conservative incumbent – by just 187 votes – despite having recently returned to Japan after a decade living in Belgium.