TOKYO: Japan&rsquo;s parliament elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country&rsquo;s first female prime minister Tuesday, a day after her struggling party struck a coalition deal with a new partner expected to pull her governing bloc further to the right. Takaichi replaces Shigeru Ishiba, ending a three-month political vacuum and infighting since the Liberal Democratic Party&rsquo;s election loss in July. Ishiba, who lasted only one year as prime minister, resigned with his Cabinet earlier in the day, paving the way for his successor. Takaichi won 237 votes &mdash; four more than a majority &mdash; compared to 149 for Yoshiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, in the lower house, which elects the prime minister. As the results were announced, Takaichi stood and bowed deeply. The Liberal Democratic Party&rsquo;s alliance with the Osaka-based Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin no Kai, ensured her premiership because the opposition remains divided. The coalition still lacks a majority in both houses of parliament and will need to court other groups to pass legislation &mdash; a challenge that could make her government unstable. &ldquo;Political stability is essential right now,&rdquo; Takaichi said Monday at the coalition signing ceremony with Japan Innovation Party leader and Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura. &ldquo;Without stability, we cannot push measures for a strong economy or diplomacy.&rdquo; The agreement reflects Takaichi&rsquo;s nationalist positions. The deal followed the Liberal Democrats&rsquo; split with the Buddhist-backed Komeito party, which has a more centrist stance. The breakup threatened a change of power for the Liberal Democrats, which have governed Japan almost continuously for decades. Later Tuesday, Takaichi, 64, is expected to present a Cabinet filled with allies of Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Taro Aso and others who supported her in the party leadership race. Yoshimura said the Japan Innovation Party will not take Cabinet posts until it gains confidence in its partnership with the ruling party. Takaichi faces immediate challenges, including rising prices and slowing growth. She is expected to deliver a major policy speech later this week and hold talks with US President Donald Trump, as well as regional leaders. She has pledged to announce economic stimulus measures by December to ease public frustration. While breaking barriers as Japan&rsquo;s first female leader, Takaichi has shown little enthusiasm for advancing gender equality. She opposes same-sex marriage, allowing separate surnames for married couples, and permitting women in the imperial line of succession. A prot&eacute;g&eacute; of slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is expected to continue his policies of strengthening Japan&rsquo;s military and revising its pacifist constitution. However, with limited parliamentary control, analysts say it remains uncertain how much she can achieve. An admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi entered parliament in 1993 and has held senior roles, including minister of economic security and minister of internal affairs, though she has limited diplomatic experience. Komeito&rsquo;s departure from the ruling coalition followed frustration over corruption scandals and concerns about Takaichi&rsquo;s revisionist views on Japan&rsquo;s wartime history, including her visits to Tokyo&rsquo;s Yasukuni Shrine &mdash; regarded by China and South Korea as a symbol of militarism. In a recent gesture to ease regional tensions, Takaichi sent a religious offering instead of visiting the shrine in person on Friday.

Lawmakers applaud as Sanae Takaichi, standing, was elected as Japan's new prime minister during the extraordinary session of the lower house, in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Asia

Japan’s parliament elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister Tuesday, a day after her struggling party struck a coalition deal with a new partner expected to pull her governing bloc further to the right.

Sanae Takaichi becomes Japan's first female prime minister

TOKYO: Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba &rsquo;s ruling party opened official campaigning Monday to find his replacement who can restore political stability and voter support for the beleaguered Liberal Democrats.&nbsp;Five candidates are vying for the Liberal Democratic Party&#39;s top job ahead of a highly unpredictable vote in early October. The race has a slogan: &ldquo;Change, LDP.&rdquo;&nbsp;The winner must act quickly to address rising prices if the party is to have any chance of winning back support following devastating losses to both the LDP and its junior partner Komeito in the past year, which deprived their coalition of a majority in either house of parliament.&nbsp;Its new leader is still likely to be the prime minister because the LDP remains the No. 1 party, while opposition groups are too splintered to form a coalition.&nbsp;Whoever becomes the LDP leader must also gain cooperation from the main opposition parties or risk facing constant no-confidence motions and a cycle of short-lived leadership.&nbsp;Vote for LDP parliamentarians and membersThe Oct. 4 vote is not open to the general public. It is limited to 295 LDP parliamentarians and 1 million dues-paying grassroots party members. That&rsquo;s less than 1% of Japan&#39;s eligible voters.&nbsp;A candidate who secures a majority becomes a party leader. If nobody wins a majority, there will be a runoff between the top two candidates in the first round.&nbsp;To be elected as prime minister, the new party leader will need votes from some opposition lawmakers in a parliamentary leadership vote, to be held within days.&nbsp;5 serving and former ministers in the raceAll five candidates are incumbent and former Cabinet ministers. They call themselves moderate conservatives as they emphasize their willingness to work with opposition groups. Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi are considered the top contenders.&nbsp;Here&#39;s a rundown of the candidates:Shinjiro Koizumi, 44: The son of a popular former prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, makes his second bid after running against Ishiba last year when he campaigned to reform the scandal-laden party. As agriculture minister for Ishiba, Koizumi released an emergency rice stockpile to lower prices and stabilize supply. Koizumi vowed to rebuild his party and listen to the people&#39;s voices more closely to address their concerns, such as rising prices, growing foreign population and public safety. If elected, he will be Japan&#39;s youngest leader since Hirobumi Ito, who in 1885 became the first Japanese premier at 44.&nbsp;Sanae Takaichi, 64: A prot&eacute;g&eacute;e of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi lost to Ishiba last year in the runoff. A wartime history revisionist and China hawk, she regularly visits Yasukuni Shrine seen by Beijing and Seoul as a symbol of militarism. She supports more public spending and investment for growth and a strong military. She backs paternalistic family values and opposes a female emperor, as well as a revision to civil law to allow an option of keeping separate surnames for married couples &mdash; a change sought by rights groups so that women aren&#39;t pressured into abandoning their names.&nbsp;Yoshimasa Hayashi, 64: Chief Cabinet secretary of Ishiba&#39;s government, Hayashi is a moderate who promises steady wage increases, a strong economy, and a robust defence. He has served in a number of other key Cabinet posts, including foreign, defense and education ministers. The Harvard-educated politician is fluent in English. He sings and plays the guitar and piano in a pop band Gi!ns, which he formed with three fellow parliamentarians to make politics approachable.&nbsp;Toshimitsu Motegi, 69: Another Harvard graduate, Motegi has served in key posts including foreign and trade ministers and is known as a tough trade negotiator during U.S. President Donald Trump&#39;s first term. Motegi said the Japan-U.S. alliance is key to his country&#39;s diplomacy and that deepening the &ldquo;relationship of trust&rdquo; with Trump is essential.&nbsp;Takayuki Kobayashi, 50: A former economic security minister who promises strong growth, defense and national unity, Kobayashi is ultra-conservative and may split votes with Takaichi. Nicknamed Koba-Hawk, he promises a tougher restriction on foreign workers and says Japan&#39;s defense spending target of 2% of GDP is insufficient.&nbsp;A first female prime minister?If elected, Takaichi, an ex-newscaster whose role model is former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, will be Japan&#39;s first female prime minister. The country ranks near the bottom internationally in terms of gender equality, particularly in politics.&nbsp;Some experts worry that the hardline conservatives would set back women&rsquo;s advancement. Others say her revisionist views of Japan&#39;s wartime history may complicate ties with Beijing and Seoul.&nbsp;In a policy speech on Friday, Takaichi said she wants good ties with China, as an important neighbor and that her harsh comments about China are mostly related to economics. She did not say she would visit Yasukuni if she became prime minister but stressed her &ldquo;gratitude&rdquo; for those who sacrificed their lives for the country and are enshrined at Yasukuni.&nbsp;Cooperation with opposition is keyCooperation with opposition parties is vital as Japan faces a tense security environment and Trump is now expected to demand greater defense spending, experts say. Although still uncertain, cooperation between the ruling coalition and the key opposition, particularly in the area of security, is possible and could contribute to political stability.&nbsp;The new LDP leader and prime minister will need help from either or both of the center-right opposition groups, the Japan Innovation Party, or Ishin, and the Democratic Party for the People, with which the LDP has collaborated on budget bills.&nbsp;Koizumi has approached Ishin and, in August, visited the Osaka Expo, where party leader and Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura escorted him. Hayashi reportedly met with a senior Ishin lawmaker over dinner recently, while Motegi announced his willingness to form a coalition with the two parties.

Japan's Former Economic Security Minister Takayuki Kobayashi 

Five candidates vie to replace Japan’s PM Ishiba as LDP leader, with Koizumi and Takaichi leading.

Articles tagged with "Sanae Takaichi"

Sanae Takaichi becomes Japan's first female prime minister

Japan's ruling party opens leadership race to choose Ishiba's successor