For the very first time in history, a woman will lead the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Sanae Takaichi, 64 years old, defeated her rival, 44-year-old Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, in the party vote. Her appointment as a candidate for prime minister will be formally approved on October 15 by parliament. Takaichi will thus enter history books as the first woman to lead the government in Japan.
The Path to a Political Career
The next prime minister was born in Japan’s old capital, Nara, to a family distant from the political arena. Her father worked for an automobile company and her mother for a police. Takaichi majored in business administration, and as a student she had a passion for heavy music and drummed for a volunteer heavy metal band.
Upon graduation, Takaichi went to the United States on an internship, where she worked in the office of Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder. When she got back to Japan, she began working as a television presenter. She first ran for parliament in 1992 and lost. Her second attempt in 1993 was financed partly by her father, who withdrew money from his retirement savings. She then began her
Political Vision
Sanae Takaichi is a good friend of Shinzo Abe. They entered parliament together and shared common conservative ideology. Abe was always with her, including in the 2021 LDP leadership elections, when Takaichi first ran for the party leadership but finished third. In 2024, she reached the final, which she lost to Shigeru Ishiba. After his 2025 resignation, Takaichi finally managed to win.
Her ideology has generally been described as ultra-conservative. She opposes legalisation of gay marriage, retention of separate surnames for wives and women inheriting the throne. She is targeted by politicians and historians for her revisionist approach to World War II. According to The Economist, former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had jokingly called Takaichi ‘the Taliban.’ She herself tries to avoid the image of a radical, swearing that her ‘right-wing radical’ tag has stuck to her because she is ‘a bit sharp.’ Takaichi admires Britain’s ‘Iron Lady’ Margaret Thatcher.
Key Challanges
Economy
Japan has lived through years of deflation but now another problem is arising. Inflation in prices is in the lead of wage increases, the population is aging, and public debt is hitting a record high. Takaichi promises to increase subsidies and reduce taxes but economists fear this will do nothing but further contribute to the debt burden and cause the yen to crash.
Foreign Policy
One of Takaichi’s first challenges will be a meeting with Donald Trump, who will be in Japan in late October. Her relationship with Abe, whom Trump admired, might make it easier to make contact. However, building bridges with China and South Korea will be that much more difficult. Takaichi’s aggressive stance on military history will likely remind some old tensions.
Political Stability
Takaichi’s victory displays a drift to the right for Japanese politics. Right-wing Sanseito party is like-minded and gaining ground, gaining fourteen seats in parliament’s upper house from one in the previous year. In order not to lose popularity, the LDP has to harden its position on migration and culture. However, this course of study would complicate the alliance with the more centrist Komeito party, which has already expressed apprehension regarding the new leader’s views.
Takaichi seems to be aware of the complexity of her situation. She has already moderated some of her stands and promised to sacrifice the work-life balance for the re-establishment of the prestige of the LDP and the improvement of the welfare of the Japanese people.
