TOKYO (Realist English). Japan’s parliament on Tuesday elected Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister, following months of political uncertainty and a bruising election defeat for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Takaichi, 64, replaces Shigeru Ishiba, who resigned earlier in the day after just one year in office. The vote in the lower house gave her 237 ballots, four above the threshold for a majority, while opposition leader Yoshiko Noda of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan received 149.
Her victory comes one day after the LDP finalized a coalition deal with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party (Ishin no Kai), an alliance expected to steer Japan’s government sharply to the political right following the breakup with its longtime centrist partner, Komeito.
The new bloc lacks a majority in both chambers, meaning Takaichi will need support from smaller opposition parties to pass key legislation — a vulnerability that could make her premiership fragile.
LDP Secretary General Shunichi Suzuki told NHK that taming inflation and stabilizing the economy would be the government’s top priority. “We will work with other parties to respond quickly to the public’s expectations,” he said, apologizing for months of internal infighting since July’s election.
Later on Tuesday, Takaichi is expected to unveil her Cabinet lineup, dominated by allies of Taro Aso, one of the LDP’s most influential figures. The Japan Innovation Party will initially hold no ministerial posts while assessing the stability of the partnership.
A protégé of the late Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is known for her nationalist and hawkish views. She supports revising Japan’s pacifist constitution, strengthening the military, and maintaining the male-only imperial succession. She has consistently opposed same-sex marriage and separate surnames for married couples, making her a polarizing figure among Japan’s electorate.
Despite being Japan’s first female leader, Takaichi has not championed women’s rights or diversity, often dismissing calls for gender equality reforms as “divisive.”
Her government faces immediate challenges: inflation, stagnant wages, and a series of LDP slush fund scandals that fueled Komeito’s defection and public anger.
Takaichi will deliver her first major policy address later this week, ahead of talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and a series of regional summits. She is also expected to announce a new economic stimulus package by December.
Known as an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi first entered parliament in 1993 and has held several senior posts, including minister for economic security and minister of internal affairs.
Her nationalist rhetoric and repeated visits to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead — including convicted war criminals — have drawn sharp rebukes from China and South Korea. In recent days, she appeared to moderate her tone, opting to send a symbolic offering instead of visiting the shrine in person.
Whether Takaichi can consolidate power and implement her conservative agenda remains uncertain. But her rise marks a historic — and deeply ideological — turning point for Japan’s postwar politics.
