Tokyo elects first female governor

Veteran politician Yuriko Koike was elected governor of Tokyo on Sunday, according to media exit polls, becoming the first woman to lead Japan's capital.

Public broadcaster NHK, Jiji Press and other media forecast Koike as the winner immediately after polls closed at 8 pm.

"I will lead Tokyo politics in an unprecedented manner, a Tokyo you have never seen," Koike, 64, told cheering supporters in a hoarse voice after two weeks of campaigning.