Sanaei Takaichi was elected leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic party on Saturday, setting up the former economic security minister to become the country’s first female prime minister.
Sanaei Takaichi was elected leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic party on Saturday, setting up the former economic security minister to become the country’s first female prime minister.
Takaichi won 185 votes against Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in a run-off election, local media reports showed. The run-off was held after none of the five candidates were able to secure a majority in the first round of voting.
Takaichi is the first female leader of the LDP, and will become Japan’s first female PM in about two weeks, barring no resistance from the opposition. A parliamentary session is set to take place around October 15.
Takaichi succeeds Shigeru Ishiba as the leader of the LDP, after he abruptly resigned in September. Ishiba’s resignation was largely tied to the LDP-led ruling coalition losing its majority in both of Japan’s legislative houses.
Speaking after the vote, Takaichi said the “tough work starts here,” and that her and the LDP had much more to do, according to statements translated by Reuters.
Takaichi is viewed as far more fiscally liberal than her predecessors, and has vowed to deliver more inflation relief to households and proposed measures such as tax breaks. But she has provided few details on how said measures will be funded, especially amid souring investor sentiment towards Japanese bonds.
Takaichi, who is regarded as a conservative, was close to the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. She has also stated that she sees former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as her role model.
Takaichi has also presented a largely nationalistic stance, and has raised the possibility of redoing an investment deal with the U.S. overseen by her predecessor Ishiba.
On the monetary front, Takaichi has largely criticized the Bank of Japan’s raising of interest rates– a stance that could see the BOJ put off any immediate plans to raise rates.