InsideJapan News Network

Mizuho Fukushima has been voted leader of the Social Democratic Party in Japan for the fourth time.

After a vote today (December 4th), the minister of state for consumer affairs and gender equality was voted as party leader for another two years, a post she will take up formally on January 23rd.

Nobody stood against Fukushima in the vote and before her victory she said: "I urge your support for me so that we can work together to produce positive results on such subjects as peace, employment, environment, gender equality and human rights, among other things."

Fukushima was born in 1955 and as well as being a politician is a practicing lawyer. She was educated at Tokyo University.

News site Xinhua noted that despite it being a small party, the Social Democrat Party has "significant political sway" in Japan as it is needed by the Democratic Party to form a coalition with voting.

Written by Kimberley Homer.