Sanae Takaichi elected as Japan's first Female Prime Minister [Image by Azertag.az.]
(The Post News) – Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which governs Japan, voted Sanae Takaichi as its new leader, the first female leader of the party and on the path to becoming Japan’s first female prime minister.
The 64-year-old hardliner, China critic, and close friend of the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe triumphed in a runoff election on Saturday over Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. Takaichi is succeeding outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who resigned after the LDP suffered a heavy defeat at the elections.
Historic but Divisive Choice
Takaichi’s election marks a milestone in Japan, which ranks poorly in global gender equality indexes. Yet her hardline positions make her a polarizing figure at home and abroad.
An admirer of Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi opposes same-sex marriage and legislation allowing married couples to keep separate surnames. She has called for increased defence spending, tighter immigration rules, and revision of Japan’s pacifist constitution.
Her repeated trips to Yasukuni war shrine, honouring the war dead of Japan that include war-crime convicted felons, will strain relations with China and South Korea.
“Since the LDP finally has a woman president for the first time, its situation will slightly change,” Takaichi said on election victory day.
The sluggish Japanese economy, inflation, and flat wages will be an early test. Takaichi vowed to revitalize “Abenomics,” the aggressive fiscal and monetary policy strategy her mentor Shinzo Abe developed. Her proposed spending will push down the yen and make it more difficult for the Bank of Japan to make policy, warn experts.
“The LDP is counting on her to mobilize conservative support, but the danger of losing broader support,” said Temple University in Tokyo Professor Jeff Kingston.
The LDP, battered by election defeats and corruption scandals, remains a majority in the lower house, which will ratify her parliamentary confirmation as prime minister on Oct. 15 as a done deal.
Diplomatic Tests on the Horizon
Takaichi’s first foreign policy trial could come quickly. A summit with U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly being planned for late October during his visit to South Korea for the APEC summit. Trump is expected to pressure Japan to increase defence spending and uphold trade agreements.
“Confirmation of the Japan-U.S. alliance strengthening is needed,” Takaichi said, pledging closer coordination with neighbouring countries like South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines.
Her win triggered a swift international reaction. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te called her a “steadfast friend of Taiwan,” and the South Korean government hoped to “sustain positive momentum” in ties.
There were a handful of Japanese who welcomed the historic feat. “The fact that they did have a woman may be seen in a good way. I believe it is evidence that Japan is changing, in fact,” stated Misato Kikuchi, a 30-year-old office worker from Tokyo.
Others doubt, citing Takaichi’s record of resisting gender reforms. “I hope that she will become more balanced in her thinking once she becomes the prime minister,” said Masami Nakagawa, who resides in Tokyo.
Whether Takaichi can rebuild her shattered party, regain the public’s trust, and navigate Japan through economic and diplomatic turbulence will be her historic leadership.
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