Yuriko Koike broke new ground eight years back. She became Tokyo's first female boss beating the guy before her. On Sunday, she nabbed her third stint as governor. Another woman stood as one of her main rivals. Japan still lags in global gender fairness rankings. Yet, seeing multiple women duke it out for top political spots remains a rarity.

Koike's win points to a gradual uptick in powerful female officials. It also shows a society warming up to gender balance in politics. Japan might even see a woman prime minister soon. But men still rule the political roost. The country needs to put in serious work to level the playing field.

Chinami Nishimura sees women's roles growing in politics. This top official from Japan's main opposition party thinks ladies need to step up and speak out. Politics still feels like a man's world to many. Nishimura heads her party's push for gender fairness. She's gunning for women to make up 30% of candidates in the next big vote.

As a bigwig in the Constitutional Democratic Party, she's got some pull to make it happen. Her goal? Get more female voices in the mix and shake things up a bit. It's about time, if you ask her. The old boys' club might be in for a surprise come election day.

Similarly, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s conservative Liberal Democratic Party has pledged to reach 30% female representation within the next decade and is actively recruiting more female candidates. However, finding willing female candidates is challenging, as women in Japan are often expected to handle childrearing, elderly care, and other family responsibilities.