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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2016)
ASIA / PACIFIC August 15, 2016 THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 3 Tokyo elects first female governor to lead city into Olympics CLEAN & GREEN. Newly elected Tokyo gover- nor Yuriko Koike speaks during her first press confer- ence at the Tokyo Metropolitan government office in Tokyo. Tokyo has elected its first female governor to lead the city while it prepares to host the 2020 Olym- pics. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) By Yuri Kageyama AP Business Writer T OKYO — Tokyo has elected its first female governor to lead the city while it prepares to host the 2020 Olympics, as voters turned to a leader promising clean politics after two predecessors who resigned over money scandals. Yuriko Koike was announced the winner by Japanese media as soon as voting ended, based on her definitive lead in exit polls. She will take charge of a sprawling capital with a population of more than 13 million and an annual budget bigger than Sweden’s. “I am pushing for a Tokyo where people’s lives will be better, and everyone can shine — men and women, children and adults, the elderly and the disabled,” Koike said, appearing at her campaign office, bowing deeply and waving to cheering supporters. Koike, 64, had previously served as defense minister, Japan’s first woman in that post. But she ran in the Tokyo election without the official backing of the ruling pro-U.S., pro-business Liberal Democratic Party. During her campaign, she wore green to symbolize her freshness, and asked her supporters to also wear the color and wave green fans and banners. One of Koike’s first jobs was going to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics as the repre- sentative of the city that’s hosting the next games. Yoichi Masuzoe, the former governor, resigned in June after acknowledging exorbitant, though not illegal, spending of taxpayer money, including for hotel suites and expensive artwork. The governor before him also resigned in disgrace. Planning for the 2020 Tokyo games has run into problems, including ballooning costs, the scrapping of the initial main sta- dium design, and delays in construction. The Tokyo Olympics logo had to be redesigned after the initial choice was reportedly plagiarized. The games are a centerpiece for Japan’s revival hopes as the world’s third-largest economy strives to keep growth going, largely based on monetary policies after more than a decade of stagnation. Tokyo makes up a fifth of Japan’s gross domestic product, and is home to about half of the nation’s major companies. The city is hoping to showcase Japan’s prized technology, including self-driving vehicles, during the games. The other major candidates for governor were journalist Shuntaro Torigoe, the opposition candidate, and former rural governor Hiroya Masuda. Masuda, a former ministry bureaucrat, represented the official ruling party candidate. Torigoe, a cancer survivor who is married, was embroiled in a sex scandal reported in a popular tabloid magazine during the campaign period. He denies the allegations. Public broadcaster NHK reported that Koike had won over both independents and ruling party supporters. After her win was announced, Koike promised that she would investigate what had happened regarding Masuzoe’s exorbitant spending, and that she would decide what needs to be done to prevent a recurrence. She also said she would work to fix the longtime problem over the lack of childcare facilities to help women pursue equal employment opportunities. She acknowledged that her being a woman was one way voters were looking for change. “I promise a city hall that has never been seen before,” Koike said. South Korea fines, halts sales of Volkswagen cars for forged tests By Youkyung Lee AP Business Writer EOUL, South Korea — South Korea has fined Volkswagen 17.8 billion won ($16 million) and suspended sales of 80 VW models, alleging the German carmaker fabricated documents on emissions or noise level tests. Ministry of Environment (MOE) official Hong Dong-kon said the government revoked Volkswagen’s certifications because submitting forged documents to authorities is against the law. The South Korean government alleges that since 2007, Volkswagen AG has sold 83,000 units of Volkswagen, Audi, and Bentley cars using the forged documents, including some models of the Golf, Jetta, Beetle, and S Tiguan. “Forging documents is a clear violation of the law that shakes the foundation of the auto certification system, so it is reasonable to revoke the certifications,” Hong told reporters. He said the measure would not affect the owners of those cars. Hong said Volkswagen likely forged documents to expedite imports of its cars. When importing the Audi A7 to South Korea, for example, the carmaker submitted the test results for the A6, which it has not sold here. Volkswagen officials said the company had made “revisions” in the documents during a hearing, according to the ministry’s statement. But it objected to the sales ban, saying it was “excessive” because the vehicles still met the emissions and noise level standards. It normally takes three months to get vehicles certified by the government before sales. Audi Volkswagen Korea apologized and said resolving the matter as soon as possible is its “top priority.” “We regret that MOE has imposed the sanctions against our vehicles,” the company said in an official statement. “We are currently reviewing the MOE’s decision and considering all available options in deciding how to move forward.” The move is the latest penalty slapped on the German carmaker in South Korea since the diesel emissions scandals last year. In November, South Korean authorities fined Volkswagen 14.1 billion won ($12.7 million) and banned sales of its diesel vehicles for outfitting them with software that distorted results of emissions tests. That issue is still under investigation.