TOKYO – Japan’s parliament made history on Tuesday by electing Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister, a landmark moment for a nation consistently ranked low for gender equality in politics. However, her ascent signals a sharp rightward shift for the government, fueled by a new coalition that underscores the ruling party’s desperation to retain power after a period of historic instability.
In a vote in the powerful Lower House, the ultraconservative Takaichi secured 237 votes, comfortably more than the simple majority required. The election ends a three-month political vacuum that began after the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) suffered a disastrous election loss in July, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Ishiba, whose tenure lasted just one year, resigned with his cabinet earlier Tuesday, paving the way for his successor. Takaichi’s victory was cemented on Monday when her struggling LDP struck a surprise, last-minute coalition deal with the right-leaning Japan Innovation Party (Ishin no Kai), pulling the governing bloc further to the right after the departure of its more moderate longtime partner.
A Conservative Trailblazer with Contradictory Stances
Takaichi’s rise is a study in contrasts. While she breaks a formidable glass ceiling, her political career has been built on a platform that often resists progressive social change.
Born in 1961 in Nara Prefecture to a police officer mother and an office worker father, Takaichi took an unconventional path to politics. She was renowned in her youth as an avid heavy metal drummer, a hobby that fostered an image of a disciplined and tenacious outsider. She entered national politics in 1993, initially with a small party, before joining the LDP and winning a parliamentary seat in 1996. Since then, she has been elected ten times, establishing herself as one of the party’s most vocal and ideological conservative voices.
However, her landmark achievement as Japan’s first female leader is tempered by her record on gender issues. The 64-year-old is among Japanese politicians who have stonewalled measures aimed at advancing feminism. She is a staunch supporter of the imperial family’s male-only succession line and opposes legislation that would allow married couples to have separate surnames, a significant barrier to gender equality in Japan.
In a deeply personal dimension, Takaichi has spoken openly about her struggles with infertility, a rare topic for a Japanese politician. She has helped raise three children from her husband’s previous marriage. In a political culture where dynasties are the norm, her endeavor to rise through the ranks without a powerful familial tie has earned her a degree of respect.
A Fragile Mandate and a New Right-Wing Alliance
Takaichi’s immediate challenge is governing from a position of weakness. The LDP’s off-the-cuff alliance with the Osaka-based Japan Innovation Party (JIP) ensured her premiership, but the coalition still falls short of a majority in the less powerful Upper House. This means she will need to court unaligned opposition groups to pass any legislation—a precarious situation that could make her government unstable and short-lived.
“Political stability is essential right now,” Takaichi emphasized at Monday’s signing ceremony with JIP leader and Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura. “Without stability, we cannot push measures for a strong economy or diplomacy.”
The new coalition agreement is a testament to Takaichi’s hawkish and nationalistic views, focusing on constitutional revision, a stronger military, and a tough stance on diplomacy. The deal comes just ten days after the LDP’s 20-year partnership with the Buddhist-backed, centrist Komeito party collapsed. Komeito’s departure, prompted by the LDP’s lax response to a slush fund scandal and ideological differences with Takaichi, threatened a historic change of power.
In a sign of the new coalition’s fragility, JIP leader Yoshimura stated his party would not hold ministerial posts in Takaichi’s initial cabinet until the partnership proves itself. The cabinet is instead expected to be filled with allies of LDP kingmaker Taro Aso and other factions that backed her in the party leadership vote.
Navigating a Packed Agenda and Diplomatic Minefields
Takaichi is immediately running against the clock. She faces a major policy speech later this week, upcoming talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, and a packed schedule of regional summits. Domestically, she must quickly address rising prices and compile a new package of economy-boosting measures by late December to address public frustration.
A protégé of the assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is expected to emulate his “Abenomics” revival policies and push for a stronger military. Her lifelong goal, shared with Abe, is to revise Japan’s post-war pacifist constitution. However, with a potentially weak grip on power, it is uncertain how much of this agenda she can achieve.
Her premiership also risks inflaming regional tensions. Komeito had long acted as a moderating force on the LDP’s nationalist impulses. The centrist party had expressed concern over Takaichi’s revisionist view of Japan’s wartime history and her regular visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors war criminals among the war dead. These visits have long drawn protests from Beijing and Seoul, which see them as a symbol of Japan’s lack of remorse for its past aggression.
In a hint that she may be tempering her approach for now, Takaichi notably did not visit Yasukuni in person on its recent autumn festival. Instead, she sent a ritual ornament, a gesture that may be her first attempt to balance her ideological convictions with the pragmatic demands of leading a nation.
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