Tokyo, October 21, 2025 – In a landmark vote that shattered decades of male dominance in Japanese politics, hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi was elected prime minister on Tuesday, becoming the first woman to lead the nation in modern history. The 64-year-old veteran lawmaker, who assumed the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) earlier this month, secured victory in the lower house of parliament with 237 votes to 149 against her main rival, Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP). A subsequent upper house ballot confirmed her ascension, passing 125-46 after an initial round fell just one vote short of a majority.
The election, held during an extraordinary session of the Diet, capped weeks of intense maneuvering following the resignation of former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, whose one-year tenure ended amid the LDP's worst electoral defeats in decades. Takaichi's triumph marks a pivotal shift for Japan, a country where women hold just 10% of seats in the lower house and have long been sidelined from top leadership roles. Yet, her rise comes not as a beacon of gender equality but as a calculated pivot toward conservative nationalism, forged through a last-minute coalition deal that has pulled the governing bloc sharply to the right.
Born in 1961 in Nara Prefecture, Takaichi grew up in a working-class family—her father employed by a car company and her mother a police officer—far removed from the political dynasties that dominate Japanese politics. As a young woman in the late 1970s, she endured grueling six-hour daily commutes to Kobe University, where she earned a degree in business management. A self-avowed fan of heavy metal bands like X Japan and B'z, as well as Kawasaki motorcycles, Takaichi interned as a congressional fellow in the U.S. Congress and worked as a TV commentator before entering politics in 1993 as an independent candidate. She joined the LDP in 1996 and has since won nine elections to the House of Representatives, representing Nara's third district.
Takaichi's political ascent has been marked by resilience and ideological fervor. A protégé of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, assassinated in 2022, she idolizes Britain's Margaret Thatcher, earning the moniker "Iron Lady of Japan" for her unyielding conservative stance. She has served in key roles, including minister of economic security (2022-2024), internal affairs, and gender equality—ironic given her resistance to progressive reforms in those areas. Her bids for LDP leadership in 2021 and 2024 ended in narrow defeats, but in the 2025 contest, she triumphed over rivals including Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in a runoff, capturing support from Abe loyalists disillusioned by Ishiba's moderate pivot.
Ideologically, Takaichi embodies a hard-right vision for Japan. She advocates revising Article 9 of the pacifist constitution to formalize the Self-Defense Forces as a full military, bolstering defense spending to counter threats from China and North Korea. On immigration, she favors stringent controls, aligning with rising anti-foreigner sentiments that propelled far-right parties like Sanseito in recent polls. Economically, she champions an expansionary "Abenomics 2.0," proposing bond issuance to fund stimulus amid soaring living costs, heavy investments in AI, semiconductors, biotech, and nuclear fusion, and tax exemptions for childcare to lure working mothers—though critics dismiss these as electoral ploys rather than genuine feminist commitments. Her regular visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors war dead including convicted criminals, have drawn ire from Beijing and Seoul, signaling potential friction in East Asia.
Takaichi's path to power was anything but assured. The LDP, which has governed almost uninterrupted since 1955, hemorrhaged seats in July's upper house election and an earlier lower house vote, losing its majority due to fury over slush-fund scandals involving unreported donations and factional kickbacks. Voter anger over inflation—driven by a weak yen and global energy shocks—exacerbated the rout, with living costs rising 3.2% year-over-year in September. Ishiba's resignation on September 7 created a three-month vacuum, forcing the LDP to scramble for allies.
The centrist Komeito, the LDP's junior partner for 26 years and a pacifist Buddhist offshoot, bolted the coalition upon Takaichi's LDP victory, citing irreconcilable differences over her hawkish security policies and Yasukuni visits. Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito warned that straying from "conservative centrism" would doom the partnership. With the LDP holding only 197 lower house seats—short of the 233 needed for a majority—Takaichi courted alternatives. Talks with the Democratic Party for the People fizzled, but on Monday, she inked a pivotal pact with the Osaka-based Japan Innovation Party (Ishin), a right-leaning populist outfit founded in 2010 to dismantle bureaucratic excesses.
The LDP-Ishin deal, signed by Takaichi and Ishin co-leader Hirofumi Yoshimura, commits to banning corporate political donations, exempting food from the 10% consumption tax, and advancing administrative reforms. Ishin, with 36 lower house seats, will back Takaichi's premiership but forgo cabinet posts initially, opting for a "wait-and-see" approach to build trust. This alliance, blending LDP traditionalism with Ishin's anti-establishment zeal, secures 233 seats—just two shy of a majority—forcing reliance on ad-hoc opposition votes for legislation. Yoshimura hailed it as a "difficult but necessary" step, despite Ishin's origins as an LDP foe.
Analysts view the union warily. "Ishin joining the establishment it vowed to fight extends LDP dominance but risks diluting its reformist edge," noted one report. Jeff Kingston, professor of Asian studies and history at Temple University's Japan campus, described Takaichi as "a diminished leader from the get-go," emerging from a fractious process that exposes the LDP's fractures. He cautioned that her rightward tilt may reclaim conservative voters but alienate moderates, especially women who see little empowerment in her tenure. "She's in a good position to regain right-wing voters, but at the expense of wider popular appeal," Kingston said, adding that her fiscal dovishness—favoring big spending over Thatcher's austerity—belies the Iron Lady label.
Takaichi's honeymoon will be brief. Domestically, she must deliver a policy speech this week and compile an economic package by December to combat inflation and an aging population straining pensions and healthcare. Surveys show cost-of-living woes topping voter concerns, with 68% citing it as a priority. Internationally, her plate overflows. Next week, U.S. President Donald Trump embarks on his first Asia tour since January's inauguration, visiting Malaysia for the ASEAN summit (October 26-28), Japan for three days starting October 27, and South Korea for the APEC gathering (October 31-November 1). In Tokyo, Trump plans bilateral talks with Takaichi on trade, investment, and security, plus a speech to U.S. troops at Yokosuka naval base. He also eyes a sideline meeting with China's Xi Jinping in South Korea, amid U.S.-China tariff tensions.
Kingston emphasized the urgency: "She doesn’t have a whole lot of time to get ready for a slew of diplomatic activity. But I think job one is the Japanese economy." Takaichi has pledged continuity on U.S. alliances, respecting Ishiba-era pacts, while pushing a "free and open Indo-Pacific" with partners like South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines. Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te hailed her as a "steadfast friend," eyeing deeper ties in trade and tech.
Yet challenges abound. Her fragile coalition demands cross-party wheeling-dealing, and scandals linger: the LDP's Abe faction faces ongoing probes, eroding trust. Polls show approval for Ishiba at a dismal 18%, and Takaichi's starts lower. Critics like Shihoko Goto of the Foreign Policy Research Institute warn that while Takaichi's Thatcher-esque resolve suits a "male-dominated world," Japan's domestic pressures—demographic decline, economic stagnation—demand pragmatic adaptation over ideology.
As Takaichi bowed deeply post-vote, vowing "bold reforms for a strong Japan," the applause masked unease. Her premiership tests whether a historic first can heal a divided nation or deepen its rifts. With Trump's shadow looming, the Iron Lady's mettle will soon be forged in fire.
