FILE - Incumbent Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike delivers a speech after she was elected for Tokyo's gubernatorial election in Tokyo, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Multiple women competing for a top political office is still rare in Japan, but Koike’s win highlights a gradual rise in powerful female officials and a society more open to gender balance in politics. That said, even if a woman eventually becomes prime minister, politics here is still overwhelmingly dominated by men, and experts see a huge effort needed for equal representation. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)
Renho, a Tokyo gubernatorial election candidate and a member of the House of Councilors, shows up for her Tokyo gubernatorial election campaign in Tokyo, Thursday, June 20, 2024. Renho told reporters in June that she often saw headlines about the Tokyo governor's race that trumpeted "A battle of dragon women". "Would you use that kind of expression to describe a competition between male candidates?" she asked. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Chinami Nishimura, a member of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and a lower house lawmaker, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Tokyo, Monday, July 1, 2024. Nishimura, who heads the opposition party’s gender-equality promotion team, hopes to have women comprise 30% of her party's candidates in the next national election. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
FILE - Incumbent Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike celebrates after she was elected for Tokyo's gubernatorial election in Tokyo, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Multiple women competing for a top political office is still rare in Japan, but Koike’s win highlights a gradual rise in powerful female officials and a society more open to gender balance in politics. That said, even if a woman eventually becomes prime minister, politics here is still overwhelmingly dominated by men, and experts see a huge effort needed for equal representation. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)
Renho, a Tokyo gubernatorial election candidate and a member of the House of Councilors, speaks during her campaign in Tokyo, as electoral activities for the Tokyo's gubernatorial election are officially allowed Thursday, June 20, 2024. Renho told reporters in June that she often saw headlines about the Tokyo governor's race that trumpeted "A battle of dragon women". "Would you use that kind of expression to describe a competition between male candidates?" she asked. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Chinami Nishimura, a member of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and a lower house lawmaker, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Tokyo, Monday, July 1, 2024. Nishimura, who heads the opposition party’s gender-equality promotion team, hopes to have women comprise 30% of her party's candidates in the next national election. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
FILE - Incumbent Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike celebrates after she was elected for Tokyo's gubernatorial election in Tokyo, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Multiple women competing for a top political office is still rare in Japan, but Koike’s win highlights a gradual rise in powerful female officials and a society more open to gender balance in politics. That said, even if a woman eventually becomes prime minister, politics here is still overwhelmingly dominated by men, and experts see a huge effort needed for equal representation. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)