Japan Poised to Witness First Female Prime Minister: Sanae Takaichi
Kanako Mita, Hiroshi Saito, and Sawako Utsumi
Modern Tokyo Times
Sanae Takaichi defeated Shinjiro Koizumi — the privileged son of a former national leader — in the runoff election to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Despite the LDP’s weakened position, Takaichi is poised to become Japan’s prime minister by mid-October. Her rise, alongside Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Yuriko Koike, places two women in prominent positions of power — a notable development in a country where sexism remains deeply rooted in both corporate culture and wider society.
Takaichi is also known for her staunch traditionalist views; for example, she supports preserving the male-only succession in the imperial family.
Much like Shinjiro Koizumi’s father, former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, she engages in symbolic acts of nationalism. Both have drawn criticism for their visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, despite the regional backlash such actions provoke due to historical sensitivities.
Takaichi faces rare politica headwinds within the LDP following two electoral setbacks in the past year. Whether she can win over the electorate remains uncertain. Her leadership is clouded by funding scandals and other serious controversies, all unfolding against the backdrop of a rising cost of living — while capitalists continue to reap significant profits from a booming Japanese stock market.
Takaichi said, “We must all pull together across all generations and work as one to rebuild the LDP. Everyone will have to work like a horse.”
Lee Jay Walker (Modern Tokyo Times analyst) says, “Takaichi, known as a foreign policy hawk, may adopt a more confrontational stance toward China and North Korea. However, the late Shinzo Abe — whom Takaichi deeply admired and who was assassinated in 2022 — maintained relatively cordial relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This raises the question of whether Takaichi will choose to soften Japan’s recent hardline rhetoric and actions toward Russia, or follow the more adversarial approach taken by Japan’s post-Abe leadership.”
The BBC reports, “She will also have to navigate a rocky US-Japan relationship and see through a tariff deal with the Trump administration agreed by the previous government.”
As a protégé of Abe, Takaichi is likely to continue along the path of Abenomics — relying on cheap borrowing to support expansive fiscal spending aimed at stimulating economic growth.
However, the LDP’s weakened position means Takaichi will need to shift her focus toward pressing domestic, bread-and-butter issues. Chief among these are the rising cost of living, urgent reforms to the pension system, the need to raise the minimum wage, and tackling Japan’s persistently low birth rate. At the same time, she must navigate growing public unease over increasing immigration — a sensitive topic in a country long known for its strict immigration controls.
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