Takaichi set to be Japan’s first female PM after election as LDP head

Japan’s conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Saturday elected former minister Sanae Takaichi as its first female leader, positioning her for a likely successful run for prime minister later this month.

More than 900,000 party members and 295 LDP lawmakers cast ballots, choosing the staunchly conservative Takaichi in a run-off against her moderate contender Shinjirō Koizumi.

Takaichi won with 185 of the lawmakers’ votes against her rival’s 156.

The LDP, which governs in coalition with its junior partner Komeito, has been in a minority government since losing its majority in the upper house of parliament in July.

But with the fragmented opposition camp unlikely to agree on a joint candidate for prime minister, Takaichi is widely expected to be elected by parliament as Japan’s next leader on October 15.

If elected, the 64-year-old would become Japan’s fourth prime minister in just five years and the country’s first ever female leader.

Most recently, the LDP’s Shigeru Ishiba resigned as prime minister in early September after less than a year in office, citing the party’s historic defeat in July’s upper house election.

The sharp rise in prices in recent years and increasing immigration figures have led to dissatisfaction with the government among many in Japan.

Small right-wing populist parties, especially the openly xenophobic Sanseito, have gained in popularity.

Controversial leader choice

Takaichi’s election victory is likely to cause tensions with China and South Korea. After the comparatively liberal Ishiba, Takaichi is likely to steer the LDP back onto a right-wing conservative course.

Takaichi, who has held several ministerial posts, has repeatedly expressed criticism of immigration and advocates a hardline political stance towards China.

As an ally of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022, she also shares his nationalist and revisionist views.

Takaichi is known for making pilgrimages to the controversial Yasukuni War Shrine in Tokyo. The Shinto shrine commemorates those who died in wars for the Japanese Empire, including convicted and executed war criminals.

Critics see the shrine as a symbol of former militarism. Visits by Japanese politicians and offerings at the site have repeatedly sparked tensions with China and South Korea, which endured huge suffering at the hands of the Japanese forces during World War II.