**Japan Elects Ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as Country’s First Female Prime Minister**
*Tokyo, Japan* – On Tuesday, Japan’s parliament elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister. This landmark decision comes just a day after her struggling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), 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 intense wrangling following the LDP’s disastrous election loss in July. Ishiba, who served only one year as prime minister, resigned alongside his Cabinet earlier in the day, paving the way for Takaichi’s succession.
The LDP’s surprise alliance with the Osaka-based rightwing Japan Innovation Party (JIP), also known as Ishin no Kai, was crucial in securing her premiership. The opposition remains fragmented, but the coalition still lacks a majority in both houses of parliament. This means Takaichi will need to court other opposition groups to pass legislation—a risk that could render her government unstable and short-lived.
“Political stability is essential right now,” Takaichi said during Monday’s signing ceremony with the JIP leader and Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura. “Without stability, we cannot push measures for a strong economy or diplomacy.”
The coalition agreement highlights policies reflecting Takaichi’s hawkish and nationalistic views. The deal came at the last minute after the LDP lost its longtime coalition partner—the Buddhist-backed Komeito party, known for its more dovish and centrist stance. This breakup threatened LDP’s near-continuous governance of Japan over recent decades.
Later Tuesday, Takaichi, 64, will unveil a Cabinet that includes many allies of the LDP’s influential kingmaker, Taro Aso, as well as others who supported her in the party leadership vote. However, JIP will not hold ministerial posts in her Cabinet until it feels confident about the partnership, according to Governor Yoshimura.
Facing pressing challenges, Takaichi is preparing a major policy speech scheduled for later this week, alongside upcoming talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and regional summits. Her government urgently needs to address rising prices and develop economic measures by late December to mitigate public frustration.
Despite being the country’s first female prime minister, Takaichi shows little enthusiasm for promoting gender equality or diversity. She is among politicians known for stalling gender advancement initiatives. Takaichi supports maintaining the imperial family’s male-only succession and opposes same-sex marriage as well as allowing married couples to have separate surnames.
A protégé of the assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is expected to follow in his footsteps by pursuing stronger military capabilities, economic reforms, and constitutional revision aimed at altering Japan’s pacifist stance.
Yet, with a potentially fragile hold on power, it remains uncertain how much she can accomplish. When Komeito exited the governing coalition, it cited the LDP’s tepid response to slush fund scandals that contributed to their consecutive election defeats. The centrist party also voiced concerns over Takaichi’s revisionist views on Japan’s wartime past and her regular visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine—actions viewed by Beijing and Seoul as a disregard for remorse over Japanese aggression.
Additionally, some criticized her recent xenophobic remarks. In response, Takaichi has softened her hawkish rhetoric. Notably, on Friday, she sent a religious ornament to Yasukuni Shrine instead of visiting in person.
As Japan’s first female prime minister with a challenging political landscape ahead, Sanae Takaichi’s leadership will be closely watched both domestically and internationally.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sanae-takaichi-elected-japan-first-female-prime-minister-ultraconservative/
