Japan's first female defence minister vowed on Wednesday to strengthen ties with Tokyo's close security ally, the United States, and improve working conditions for women in the nation's military. Yuriko Koike, a former national security adviser, took over after her predecessor resigned for remarks appearing to condone the 1945 US atomic bombings of two Japanese cities.
"Based on the Japan-US alliance, we want to build closer ties with the United States," the 54-year-old Koike told a news conference after being sworn in. Koike also said she wanted to improve the environment for the women who make up some 5 percent of the personnel in Japan's Self-Defence Forces (SDF), as the country's military is known.
"Women in the SDF are a major workforce. I want to listen to their opinions," she said. "It will help boost morale for the entire defence ministry." Koike dodged controversy by declining to comment directly on remarks by the US special envoy for nuclear non-proliferation, Robert Joseph, who was quoted by Japanese media as telling a news briefing on Tuesday that "most historians would agree" the atomic bombings ended a war that would have cost millions more lives. But she added: "From the humanitarian point of view, using nuclear weapons is against international law."
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was similarly circumspect on the topic. He told a separate news conference that there was "no change to my feeling that the atomic bombings cannot be forgiven," but added: "At the same time, Japan and the United States are allies, and it's important that Japan ensure its security while making this alliance strong."
Known as a hawk on security matters, the stylish Koike first shot to fame as an anchorwoman for a popular TV business news show and was elected to parliament's lower house in 1992 from a small opposition party whose leader briefly became premier.
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