Japan to have first female government leader

Former Japanese Minister of Economic Security Sanae Takaichi has been elected as the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, making her almost certain to become the countryʼs first female prime minister.

This is reported by The Japan Times and Reuters.

Takachi has previously been known as a conservative nationalist. Her heroine is the first Prime Minister of Great Britain, Margaret Thatcher.

The politician was the only woman out of five candidates running in the race. In the second round, she defeated Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, receiving 185 votes to 156.

"I feel more like itʼs going to be difficult from now on than Iʼm happy. We canʼt rebuild the party unless I get help from everyone, from all generations. Iʼll throw away the work-life balance — Iʼll work, work, work, and work," Takaichi said after her election.

Meanwhile, Koizumi said the party should unite under a new leader and thanked his supporters for their efforts.

An extraordinary session of parliament to elect a prime minister is expected to be called in mid-October. Although the LDP-Komeito coalition does not have a majority in either house of parliament, its candidate is expected to be elected prime minister as opposition parties are unable to rally behind their own.

Takaichi said she was looking to expand the coalition ahead of the vote to elect a prime minister. She said key policy areas for any new coalition partner would be constitutional revision, national security and diplomacy, and the economy.

Takaichi is a proponent of "Abenomics" (a strategy named after the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose protégé Takaichi was), aimed at stimulating the economy through aggressive spending and loose monetary policy. She has previously criticized the Bank of Japanʼs interest rate hikes.

• The countryʼs former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned in early September. Since coming to power, his ruling coalition has lost its majority in parliament due to voter resentment over the rising cost of living.

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