Tokyo, Sep.8 (Reuters).- ... A telegenic former newscaster fluent in English and Arabic, Yuriko Koike, 56, emphasised her plans to tackle women's issues and the environment as well as administrative reform at a news conference in Tokyo.

"Women often want to work while still  looking after their families, but it's hard for them to get the chance," Koike, who is single and childless, told reporters.

"I want to deal with women's issues on a cross-party basis. That will unleash the potential energy of women and make Japan an energetic country," she said.

Koike lags far behind the favourite, former foreign minister Taro Aso, in opinion polls ...

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Some analysts noted that winning the backing of the male-dominated LDP membership might be harder than gaining acceptance from the general public.

"She needs to be accepted by the LDP first," said Koichi Nakano, a politics professor at Sophia University in Tokyo. "She is a recent arrival. Being a woman and a recent arrival doesn't play well in a conservative party. The party needs to be more desperate." ...

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