The global rage for upsetting the established order shows signs of having reached Japan. Tokyo’s first female governor, Yuriko Koike, humiliated prime minister Shinzo Abe earlier this month by leading her newly formed political party to a commanding victory over Mr Abe’s ruling Liberal Democrats in elections for the capital’s assembly.
This leaves the former newscaster positioned as a viable alternative to Mr Abe, who until recently appeared to have a firm grip on power. Already under pressure, Mr Abe announced he will reshuffle his cabinet next month as his approval rating sank to its lowest level since he took power in 2012.
Ms Koike presents herself as a kind of anti-Abe — a reformist crusader on a mission to overturn the status quo. It is not clear, though, that she represents a plan B or alternative to “Abenomics”, the prime minister’s blueprint for reviving Japan’s fortunes.