Japan appoints first female prime minister in history
Photo: Sanae Takaichi (facebook.com)
The head of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, Sanae Takaichi, has been elected as the country's 104th prime minister. She is the first woman to hold this position, Kyodo reports.
During the vote in the lower house of parliament, Takaichi received 237 votes out of 465. Her main rival, Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda, received 149 votes.
Takai's victory was made possible by the CDP's alliance with the conservative Japan Restoration Party, which provided her with the necessary support. The new prime minister will begin forming a government in the near future.
Sanae Takaichi
Takaichi is a political veteran who has held several positions in the cabinet and was a supporter of the late Shinzo Abe's “Abenomics” economic policy. She will now replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
According to experts, the new leader will inherit the general line of the ruling party, which faces geopolitical threats and tense relations with the US over tariffs on important export industries and defense commitments.
Interestingly, Takaichi has less than two weeks to prepare for US President Donald Trump's visit to Japan.
Background
Conservative Sanae Takaichi won the race for leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party, despite predictions in favor of her rival.
The 64-year-old Takaichi defeated her closest rival, Shinjiro Koizumi, in the second round of voting with 185 votes to 156. Her victory contradicts the results of pre-election polls, as most of them predicted a victory for Koizumi.
