TOKYO: Sanae Takaichi has made history by becoming Japan’s first-ever female prime minister, according to international news agencies.
Takaichi, 64, secured a majority of votes in both houses of parliament — 237 votes in the Lower House and 125 votes in the Upper House — to win the leadership.
She is set to take oath as Japan’s 104th Prime Minister later this evening, marking a historic milestone in the country’s political landscape.
Takaichi is among the more conservative candidates leaning to the ruling party’s right. A former government minister, TV host and avid heavy metal drummer, she is one of the best-known figures in Japanese politics – and a controversial one at that.
She faces many challenges, including contending with a sluggish economy and households struggling with relentless inflation and stagnant wages.
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.
Last month, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, whose term lasted just over a year, announced he would step down after a series of election defeats that saw the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) governing coalition lose its majority in both chambers of parliament.
Jeff Kingston, Professor of Asian Studies at Temple University in Tokyo, told the Takaichi was unlikely to have “much success at healing the internal party rift”.