Conservative Sanae Takaichi, first woman to rule Japan

The difficulties of Japan's ruling party in recent years have made conservative leader Sanae Takaichi the first woman to lead Japan. Takaichi manages to achieve power after forging a last-minute coalition deal.

The 64-year-old politician, a well-known admirer of Margaret Thatcher and recognized for her hard line on China, will be the fifth person to lead the country in five years. She faces significant challenges, which she must tackle with a minority government. Among her first tests is the imminent visit of Donald Trump to Tokyo.

Although she was the strongest candidate after becoming leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed Japan almost uninterruptedly for decades, Takaichi had to contend with the loss of her coalition partner, Komeito, which disagrees with her conservative positions, as well as an LDP financing scandal that has sent the party’s popularity plummeting.

A flashy coalition deal to be sworn in

However, Takaichi did not sit idly by after attaining LDP leadership on October 4 and quickly forged an alliance with the Innovation Party of Japan (PIJ), an agreement that was finally signed on Monday. Her appointment came after she unexpectedly won the required majority in the first round of parliamentary voting.

The conservative leader, who was a drummer in a heavy metal band in her youth, pledged to “strengthen Japan’s economy and transform the country into one that can be responsible to future generations,” AFP reports.

A cabinet with a "Nordic level of women"

Takaichi has promised a cabinet with a “Nordic” level of female representation, up from just two under outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Among them, AFP highlights conservative Satsuki Katayama, in charge of finance, and Japanese-American Kimi Onoda, serving as economic security minister.

Takaichi has also said she hopes to raise awareness of women’s health issues and has spoken openly about her own experience with menopause. However, she opposes revising a 19th-century law requiring married couples to share the same surname and wants the imperial family to maintain an exclusively male line of succession.

Her big challenges: Trump, population decline, a stagnant economy and China

Among the other challenges awaiting Takaichi are the unresolved details of the trade deal between Washington and Tokyo. Amid their ongoing tariff dispute, Trump is pressing Japan to halt imports of Russian energy and increase defense spending.

The new prime minister will also have to address Japan’s declining population and inject dynamism into a stagnant economy. As a minority in both houses of parliament, her newly formed coalition will need the support of other parties to advance its legislative agenda.

In the past, Takaichi has backed aggressive monetary easing and increased government spending, echoing her mentor, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Despite backtracking on these proposals during the LDP leadership contest, her victory propelled Japanese stocks to record highs.

On China, she has stated that the Asian giant “completely belittles Japan” and that Tokyo must “address the security threat” posed by Beijing. However, she has softened her rhetoric recently as she assumed her post. For example, last week she did not attend a ceremony at the Yasukuni Shrine—which she used to attend regularly—honoring Japan’s war dead, a symbol for neighboring countries of Japan’s imperialist past.