Hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi was elected by Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday as the country’s first female prime minister, marking a historic milestone in a nation where women remain severely underrepresented in government.
Takaichi, 64, the new leader of the governing Liberal Democratic Party, was elected by lawmakers in the lower house of parliament by a vote of 237 to 149 over her closest rival, Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the liberal opposition Constitutional Democratic Party. She was also elected by upper house lawmakers in a second vote of 125 to 46 after falling one vote shy of a majority in the first round.
Lawmakers applauded Takaichi as she voted and welcomed her with another thunderous round of applause after her election. The moment represented a significant breakthrough in a country that ranked 118th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Gender Gap Report.
Her ascension follows a turbulent political period. Earlier this month Takaichi was elected leader of the LDP, which has governed Japan almost uninterrupted since World War II, after running unsuccessfully in 2021 and 2024. In the 2024 LDP presidential race, Takaichi lost to Shigeru Ishiba, but won the leadership of the party in September this year, defeating Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi after Ishiba announced his resignation.
Her ascension to prime minister was thrown into doubt, however, after a crucial partner, the centrist party Komeito, left the LDP coalition. To ensure her victory, the LDP signed a deal on Monday with the Osaka-based Japan Innovation Party, or Ishin, that will pull its coalition further to the right.
Even with the alliance, Takaichi faces an uphill battle in parliament, where she falls short of a majority in both houses after the LDP suffered major losses in recent elections amid voter anger over party corruption scandals and the rising cost of living. Political analyst Jeff Kingston observed that she emerges as a diminished leader from the outset, confronting significant challenges with limited political capital.
A protege of assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi advocates a stronger military, tougher immigration policies and the revision of Japan’s pacifist constitution. A former economic security and internal affairs minister, Takaichi has served in the Lower House for roughly 30 years.
A hardline conservative, Takaichi has been widely labeled as an apostle of “Abenomics,” the economic strategy of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which espoused loose monetary policy, fiscal spending and structural reforms. She supports heavy government investment in critical strategic sectors in what she refers to as “crisis management investment,” including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, nuclear fusion, biotechnology, and defense.
Takaichi also faces an early test next week with the arrival of President Donald Trump, who is making his first trip to Asia since returning to office. He is expected to visit Malaysia and Japan before continuing to South Korea, which is hosting a major summit of Asia-Pacific economies. Kingston noted she doesn’t have much time to prepare for intense diplomatic activity, though he emphasized job one is the Japanese economy.
Takaichi is a member of the far-right ultranationalist organization, Nippon Kaigi, and has made regular visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, a practice that has been seen as controversial by China and South Korea for its enshrinement of Japanese war criminals. Experts suggest she will need to communicate her foreign policy views very carefully, particularly regarding China and Korea.
Her conservative social positions have drawn criticism from feminist groups. Takaichi, 64, opposes same-sex marriage and favors keeping succession to men only in Japan’s shrinking imperial family. She also opposes changes to the rules to allow married women to keep their maiden names in Japan, the only country in the world where married couples are required to have the same surname.
After Takaichi was elected leader of the LDP earlier this month, Japanese feminist author Chizuko Ueno said that the prospect of Japan getting its first female prime minister “doesn’t make me happy.” The comment captured ambivalence among women’s rights advocates about celebrating a milestone achieved by someone opposing progressive gender policies.
Progress toward gender equality has been slow in Japan, where women are far outnumbered at the highest levels of business and government and bear a disproportionate responsibility for child care and household chores. Women make up less than 16 percent of Japanese lawmakers in the lower house of parliament and 10 percent of government ministers.
In her victory speech, she underlined her commitment to the job, stating: “I myself will throw out the term ‘work-life balance.’ I will work and work and work and work and work.” The statement reflected her intense work ethic but also reinforced cultural expectations around sacrificing personal life for professional achievement that many critics say perpetuate gender inequality.
Takaichi agreed to back Japan Innovation Party policies such as a reduction in parliamentary seats, free high school education and a two-year pause on food consumption tax. These policy commitments formed part of the coalition agreement securing her parliamentary support but may prove politically challenging to implement given budget constraints.
Like her fellow candidates in the 2025 LDP leadership election, Takaichi has been described as taking a “hard-line stance” on immigration. This positions her firmly within the conservative wing of Japanese politics at a time when demographic decline threatens economic growth and labor force sustainability.
She often cites Margaret Thatcher as a role model and, like Thatcher, is called the “Iron Lady.” The comparison highlights her reputation for strong conservative convictions and unwillingness to compromise on core principles, characteristics that supporters view as strength and critics see as inflexibility.
The new prime minister inherits an economy facing multiple pressures. Japan’s aging population strains social services and pension systems while creating labor shortages across industries. Inflation has eroded purchasing power even as wage growth remains modest, contributing to public dissatisfaction reflected in recent election results.
Takaichi’s economic approach emphasizes government spending and strategic investment over fiscal consolidation. This puts her at odds with more fiscally conservative voices within the LDP who worry about Japan’s massive public debt burden, already exceeding 250 percent of GDP. How she navigates these tensions while maintaining coalition cohesion will significantly impact policy implementation.
Her relationship with the Bank of Japan also bears watching. During the 2024 leadership race, she criticized plans to raise interest rates, though BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda has insisted the central bank will set rates without political interference. Managing this delicate balance between respecting central bank independence while signaling economic policy preferences represents another early test.
Regional security challenges loom large. North Korea’s nuclear program, China’s military assertiveness in the East China Sea, and ongoing tensions over Taiwan require careful diplomatic management. Takaichi’s nationalist credentials may reassure conservative voters but could complicate relations with neighboring countries already wary of Japanese militarism.
The coalition dynamics add complexity to governance. Unlike previous LDP prime ministers who enjoyed stable majorities or reliable coalition partners, Takaichi must continuously negotiate with the Japan Innovation Party while managing internal LDP factions. This fragmentation limits her ability to pursue bold initiatives without extensive consensus building.
Whether Takaichi’s historic election translates into meaningful progress for Japanese women remains uncertain. Her opposition to policies many feminists consider essential for gender equality creates a paradox where Japan’s first female prime minister may not advance women’s rights substantially. Some argue representation matters regardless of individual policy positions, while others insist symbolic firsts mean little without substantive change.
The international community watches with interest. As a key US ally and major economy, Japan’s political direction carries regional and global implications. Takaichi’s success or failure governing a fractured parliament amid economic and security challenges will influence perceptions of conservative governance models and women’s political leadership in traditionally male-dominated societies.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
