She is unsure of what to wear to a guards of honour reception

Jul 4, 2007

TOKYO, July 4 (Reuters) - A day after being appointed Japan's first-ever female defence minister, former TV presenter Yuriko Koike said on Wednesday she was worried about what to wear.

The 54-year-old Koike was appointed after her predecessor, Fumio Kyuma, was forced to quit over remarks at the weekend that appeared to accept the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"After being officially appointed at the Imperial Palace, I will have an honour guard reception at the Defence Ministry," she told reporters in Tokyo.

"Men wear a morning suit for this, which is easy, but I was confused about what I should wear as the first woman," said the minister, who was wearing a white suit.

Koike, previously national security adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is also known for her focus on fashion.

As environment minister, she launched Japan's "cool biz" campaign in 2005, encouraging workers to dress down in summer to cut back on air-conditioner use and help fight global warming -- and even hosted a fashion show featuring cabinet ministers as models.

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