TOKYO: Hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi was elected Japan’s first female prime minister on Tuesday, shattering a political glass ceiling for women and setting the country up for a decisive turn to the right.

An acolyte of former pri­me minister Shinzo Abe and an admirer of Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, Takai­chi is expected to return to Abe-style government sti­mulus as she attempts to jumpstart an economy struggling with slow gro­wth and rising prices.

Takaichi takes over when Japanese politics appears more fractured than at almost any other time in recent memory, thanks in part to the rise of the smaller, hard-right Sanseito Party, which has siphoned voters away from the LDP.

The LDP’s former coalition partner, the more moderate Komeito, broke up their 26-year-old alliance this month after the LDP chose the right-wing Takaichi as new leader.

Promises to restore country’s economic might; two other women picked for cabinet

But her victory marks a pivotal shift in a country where men hold overwhelming sway, yet she named just two women to her cabinet, fewer than she had promised.

Takaichi is likely to make a sharp turn to the right on immigration and defence, reflecting the broader rightward shift in global politics. In her first press conference, she pro­mised to work tirelessly to restore Japan’s economic might, and deepen the re­­lationship with the United States under President Donald Trump.

“I am determined to deliver results for the nat­ion, to build a strong Jap­an and to never give up,” she said.

“I also plan to meet President Trump at an early date to elevate the Japan-US relationship to new heights,” she said.

Her victory was secured after her Liberal Demo­cratic Party, which has governed Japan for most of postwar history, agreed on Monday to form a coalition with the right-wing Japan Inno­vation Party, known as Ishin.

Together the parties are two seats short of a majority in the lower house. For Takaichi to be successful, she will need to find ways to cooperate with opposition lawmakers, said Tadashi Mori, a professor of politics at Aichi Gakuin University.

The two parties do not command a majority in either chamber and to ensure a stable government and gain control of key parliamentary committees, they will need to secure more than half the seats, he said.

Takaichi named just two women to her cabinet: Fellow Abe disciple Satsu­­ki Katayama becomes the country’s first female fina­nce minister, while Kimi Onoda becomes economic security minister.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2025