Japan’s parliament has elected Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister, marking a historic milestone for a nation long dominated by male political and business leaders.
The 64-year-old conservative lawmaker assumes office as Japan faces mounting economic challenges, political gridlock, and strained regional relations. Her election comes just days before U.S. President Donald Trump is due to visit Tokyo.
A protégé of the late former prime minister Shinzo Abe, Sanae Takaichi has pledged to carry forward his conservative legacy. Like Abe, she supports revising Japan’s pacifist constitution and has visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead, including convicted war criminals actions that have drawn criticism from China and South Korea.
Known for her nationalist views and tough stance on China, Takaichi’s leadership is expected to influence Japan’s defense and foreign policy. Domestically, her promises to increase public spending and cut taxes have sparked debate as Japan battles high inflation, rising living costs, and sluggish growth.
Sanae Takaichi
Unlike many of her predecessors, Sanae Takaichi does not come from a political dynasty. Born in Nara to a car company employee and a police officer, she studied in Japan and interned for a U.S. Democratic congresswoman before working as a television commentator. She later entered politics and has been elected to parliament nine times, holding cabinet positions overseeing gender equality, demographics, and economic security.
Her recent victory in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race over more moderate rivals signals a shift to the right for the scandal-plagued party, which has lost voter confidence in recent elections.
Sanae Takaichi now faces a range of urgent challenges: tackling the soaring cost of living rice prices have nearly doubled in the past year and addressing Japan’s shrinking population and aging society. Meanwhile, her government will have to navigate economic uncertainty and trade tensions following the Trump administration’s tariff measures earlier this year.
