Tokyo: The lawmakers of Japan's bicameral parliament on Tuesday elected the country's first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) newly elected conservative chair. The 64-year-old politician secured 237 and 125 votes in the lower and upper chambers of the bicameral parliament, respectively, clearing her path to become the 104th prime minister in the post-war era of Japan.
According to Anadolu Agency, earlier this month, Takaichi was elected the LDP's first female chair but soon faced a setback when the party's long-time ally Komeito upended the government coalition. However, she quickly worked through other parties and secured the support of the right-wing Japan Innovation Party (JIP), whose 35 lawmakers proved crucial in electing Takaichi as the premier. The JIP will not join Takaichi's Cabinet but will extend outside support to the government on an issue-by-issue basis, putting up at least 12 demands for the coalition to continue.
Born on March 7, 1961, in Yamatokoriyama City in Nara province, Takaichi studied at Kobe University. After graduation, she worked as an author, legislative aide, and broadcaster before entering politics. First elected to the House of Representatives in the 1993 general election as an independent, Takaichi later joined the LDP and has been reelected to the House nine times. She is the fifth prime minister of Japan in as many years, following a period marked by the ruling LDP's political funds scandal and ties to the controversial Unification Church, which eroded its support base.
A close aide of late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is known for her hawkish views on China, Koreas, and Japan's wartime history. Her immediate focus as prime minister will be on the economy and boosting the defense of the country, which has a "pacifist" constitution. Takaichi plans to strengthen Japan's deterrence by increasing defense spending from 1% to 2% of GDP and aims to amend Article 9 of the Constitution, which prohibits Japan from maintaining a war-fighting force.
Kazuto Suzuki, a political scientist and professor at the University of Tokyo, told Anadolu that younger generations in Japan have fading or no memories of World War II, with many feeling threatened by China's military rise and North Korea's missiles. Events like Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the reelection of President Donald Trump in the US have eroded their trust in the international order based on the rule of law, leading to a belief that Japan should strengthen its national capabilities.
Takaichi's husband, Taku Yamamoto, expressed his support for his wife as a "stealth husband," noting that it is better for the partner to stay out of the spotlight in Japan. Yamamoto, a former LDP member in the House of Representatives, described his wife as a dedicated individual with a room filled with books and documents. Takaichi adopted Yamamoto's three children from his previous marriage, and though considered dovish in politics, Yamamoto supported former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during the 2012 LDP presidential race, while Takaichi backed Abe.