PARIS -- Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike's Party of Hope left supporters deflated after a trouncing its leader chalked up to her own missteps, such as using harsh words toward former Democrats who were not in sync with her policy stances.
The popular anti-establishment figure lacked much of her trademark energy when appearing before reporters Sunday, after polls had closed in Japan. Though the promise of change had handed Koike "decisive victories" in the 2016 gubernatorial race and this July's Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, the lower house vote was a "resounding defeat, no doubt about it," she said.
