Sanae Takaichi named Japan's first female prime minister | DW News

The upper and lower houses of parliament have elected the ultraconservative lawmaker. Final approval by the emperor is expected later in the day. Sanae Takaichi, 64, will officially become Japan's first female prime minister after meeting with Emperor Naruhito later on Tuesday. The upper and lower houses of parliament appointed the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader after she unexpectedly won a majority in a first round of voting in the latter earlier this month. She is expected to welcome US President Donald Trump from October 27, in her first major challenge.

Takaichi is Japan's fifth leader in as many years, as the ruling LDP — which has governed almost non-stop for decades — continues to bleed support. After taking the reins of LDP on October 6, she faced her first challenge as the Komeito party quit their coalition, citing discomfort over Takaichi's conservative views and the LDP slush fund scandal. It pushed Takaichi into forming an alliance with the right-leaning Japan Innovation Party (JIP), in a deal that was signed on Monday. Key to JIP policies are to lower the consumption tax rate on food to zero, abolish corporate and organizational donations to political parties and to reduce the overall number of MPs.

Promising to form a government with "Nordic" numbers of women, Takaichi had pledged on Monday that she would "make Japan's economy stronger, and reshape Japan as a country that can be responsible for future generations."

Having spoken openly about her own struggles with menopause, the former heavy metal drummer has vowed to raise awareness about women's health struggles. The east Asain country has a heavily patriarchal society and was ranked 118 out of 148 in the World Economic Forum's 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, with around only 15% of lower house MPs women. Despite the historic appointment of Takaichi, and a promise to appoint more female ministers, her political beliefs are of concern to some women within Japan. Her opposition to revising a 19th-century law requiring married couples to share the same surname is in contrast to the broad support it holds in Japan — aside from with conservatives. Her wishes for the imperial family to stick to male-only succession and an opposition to same-sex marriage is also of concern to many voters, who were boxed out of having their own say on who would appointed as leader. Takaichi has repeatedly referred to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as a source of inspiration although she is an advocate of fiscal largesse and easy monetary policies, in direct contrast to the 'Iron Lady's' policies. As the LDP remain in a minority in both houses of parliament, the new coalition will need support from other parties to push through legislation.

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