Japan Elects Sanae Takaichi as the First Woman Prime Minister
On October 21st, in a historic first for Japan, the nation elected its first woman as Prime Minister–Sanae Takaichi, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Her election comes after the previous LDP Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, announced his resignation earlier this September after leading the LDP in two elections where the party suffered heavily. She was elected by both houses of the Japanese Parliament, or Diet, with 237 votes in the lower house and 125 in the less powerful upper house.
Takaichi, an admirer of the late British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, and a protege of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is a member of the staunch conservative wing of the LDP, echoing Japan’s recent rightward shift. Her hardline, right-wing stance is evident from her election. The LDP’s longtime coalition partner, Komeito, a generally centrist party, withdrew support at the last second, but the LDP was able to make a last-minute deal with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party (JIP) to ensure her election to the office. Even with the support of the JIP, the LDP’s coalition was unable to secure a majority in either of the houses, meaning that in order to pass legislation, Takaichi will be required to work with the opposition, which may hinder some of her efforts in the Office.
While Takaichi is Japan’s first female Prime Minister, she is far from a feminist. She is among the politicians in Japan who have opposed measures aimed at increasing women’s involvement in politics. Furthermore, she has been opposed to allowing couples to have separate surnames, same sex marriages, and favors male-only succession for the Imperial family. Still, her election acts as a measure of progress in itself, as many in Japan didn't believe a woman would be able to secure enough votes to win the Prime Ministership.
Being elected is far from the only challenge Takaichi will have to face. Now that she has been elected, Takaichi will be responsible for guiding Japan and the LDP through a myriad of challenges, both domestic and international. She must build back trust in the LDP after a series of domestic controversies, such as the party’s involvement in the slush-fund scandal, and will have to grapple with soaring prices in the Japanese economy.
The domestic side might be the least of her worries. Following in the footsteps of the assassinated Shinzo Abe, Takaichi has generally had a more hawkish foreign policy supporting the strengthening of the Japanese military to counter Chinese influence in the region. However, Takaichi’s biggest foreign policy trouble may actually come from Japan’s allies. Takaichi will have to reassure regional partners like South Korea, who fear more nationalist streaks in her right-wing foreign policy. She must also navigate Japan’s relationship with the United States and the Trump Administration, facing Trump for the first time when the President visits the country on October 27th. While Japan has already reached a tariff deal with the United States, Takaichi will have to deal with the ever-unpredictable Trump administration. How she handles these early challenges will set the tone for her administration and provide crucial clues to Japan’s policy leanings for her Prime Ministership.