Naomi Koshi, New Mayor of Otsu (Shiga Prefecture) - Japan's Youngest Female Mayor

Naomi Koshi became the youngest female mayor in Japan. The 36-year-old female lawyer was elected to lead Otsu, the capital city of Shiga prefecture, western Japan. Koshi is a graduate of Harvard law school.

Koshi was backed by the ruling centre-left Democratic Party of Japan. She beat a male incumbent twice her age, 70-year-old Makoto Mekata, who had the support of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito party by a margin of five-to-four. Koshi received 51,735 votes, while Mekata got 42,232 votes.

"I want to work on expanding childcare and other services," the Mainichi Shimbun quoted Koshi as telling cheering supporters late Sunday.

Japan has few women among political and business leaders, making up just 11 percent of lower house members in national parliament and one percent of corporate leaders, according to a government report.