Record number of women raises hope of new direction in Tokyo assembly

A record 36 women won seats in Sunday's Tokyo metropolitan assembly election, raising hopes that they may help change Japan's male-dominated political world.Women now comprise some 30 percent of the 127-member Tokyo assembly, up from 25 seats or about 20 percent before the election, which was contested by 259 candidates including a record 65 women. The ratio is higher than the 9.9 percent average of prefectural assemblies across Japan as of late last year.Reina Saito, a 38-year-old singer and mother of two children, secured a seat running for a new party, led by Tokyo's first female governo…READ FULL ARTICLE