“Who is Sanae Takaichi? The Ultraconservative Leader Set to Become Japan’s First Female Prime Minister

Tokyo: Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) elected Sanae Takaichi as its new leader on Saturday, putting her on track to become the country’s first woman prime minister and potentially reshape Japan’s domestic and foreign policies.

In a tense internal party runoff, the 64-year-old conservative defeated centrist Shinjiro Koizumi at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo. The lower house of Japan’s Parliament is expected to formally elect her as prime minister in mid-October, setting the stage for a historic leadership change less than a year after Shigeru Ishiba resigned amid mounting pressure.

Takaichi’s victory signals a pivot toward the right within the LDP, departing from Ishiba’s moderate stance. In her victory speech, she told supporters, “Recently, I have heard harsh voices from across the country saying we don’t know what the LDP stands for anymore or do you really understand how hard life is, and that the LDP’s policies show no vision.”

A protégé of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi combines ultranationalism with an aggressive fiscal agenda. Her campaign slogan, “Japan is back!”, underscores her determination to place national interests above all else and strengthen the country for future generations.

Historically, Japan’s postwar politics have been defined by pacifism, enshrined in Article 9 of the Constitution, which renounces war and prohibits maintaining military forces. But amid economic stagnation and demographic decline, ultranationalist currents have been gaining traction.

Takaichi, a member of Nippon Kaigi, shares Abe’s revisionist views on Japan’s actions during World War II. She is a frequent visitor to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japan’s war dead, including convicted war criminals — a stance that has drawn criticism from neighboring countries like China and Korea. She has stated that Japan need not apologise further for wartime atrocities.

On foreign policy, Takaichi is expected to take a hardline stance, advocating for stronger military alliances with Taiwan and boosting Japan’s domestic defense capabilities to counter rising threats from China.

Socially, Takaichi maintains ultra-conservative positions, including restrictive views on gender issues, raising questions about her domestic policy priorities.