Breaking News: For the first time in history Japan has elected a female leader, checkout the party she belongs to

Renho

The Democratic Party made history Thursday, electing Renho as the first female leader of the main opposition force.

The 48-year-old mother-of-two and former swimwear model, who previously served as deputy leader, was set to give a striking image makeover to a party dogged by lackluster popularity linked in part to its disastrous performance in power during the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Renho is also a radical choice in Japan for the fact that she is of partly non-Japanese origin, with a Taiwanese father and Japanese mother.

Rehno having a hand shake with supporters 

She won an election by DP lawmakers and party rank and file despite an eleventh-hour storm over the revelation that she holds dual nationality.

On Tuesday, she reversed an earlier denial in the matter, revealing that a past attempt to relinquish her Taiwanese citizenship had failed.

She said she is now renewing efforts to lose it, but critics said her fumbling reflected a lack of political savvy.

In the run-up to Thursday’s leadership election, Renho, who goes only by one name, campaigned on a promise to transform the struggling DP into a “revolutionary party” that offers realistic alternatives to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Specifically, she called for greater investment in people and education, including free preschool and higher salaries for nursery teachers.

Her leadership represents a sharp break from the DP’s traditional presidency roster dominated by aging men. It also comes as Japan’s male-dominated political and business circles make cautious efforts toward empowering female leaders.

Other women recently to have made it big include LDP lawmaker Tomomi Inada, who is now defense minister, and Yuriko Koike, who was elected Tokyo governor.

However, Renho’s talk about remaking the DP may prove to be nothing more than that. Some observers expect her to adhere to the liberal policies upheld by her predecessor, Katsuya Okada, and make no major shifts in other areas.

Upon throwing her hat into the ring, Renho promised to protect the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution, at a time when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is widely believed to be seeking to amend it.

However, she also expressed readiness to discuss constitutional amendments with the ruling coalition.

Renho, a third-term Upper House lawmaker, served as state minister in charge of government revitalization in 2010, when the Democratic Party of Japan, the DP’s predecessor, held power.

A mother of twins, she enjoys high support from the public. She secured more than 1 million votes to finish a strong first in the Upper House election in her Tokyo district in July.