For years these were dismissed as conspiracy theories even by many of the regime's critics; however, in September 2002, Kim Jong-Il acknowledged to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi the involvement of North Korean "special institutions" in the kidnapping of Japanese citizens in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Former Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi served as the first representative of the constituency from 1994.
Junichiro Koizumi | Yoshiaki Koizumi | Marie Koizumi | Kyōko Koizumi | Junichirō Koizumi | Junichiro Itani |
She attended business school at Columbia University and subsequently worked in the Cabinet Secretariat under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, as a management consultant with Boston Consulting Group, and as a marketing executive for Hermès Japan.
During her time with CNN, she interviewed notable leaders including Junichiro Koizumi, Dalai Lama, Pervez Musharraf, and Mohammad Khatami.
In the mayoral election held on 28 June 2009, Yoshida beat Ryōichi Kabaya, a former government official and the incumbent mayor backed by former Prime Minister Junichirō Koizumi and three major political parties.