Japan’s LDP elects Takaichi as new leader, likely to be first female PM

Sanae Takaichi is expected to become the country’s first female leader in its history, taking the place of Sanae Takaichi, who was elected to lead Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

After the first round of voting, neither of the five candidates had a majority in the lead-up to the election, so Takaichi won the election on Saturday. Shinjiro Koizumi, the son of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, won the vote.

If Koizumi had won, he would have been the youngest prime minister in more than a century.

Takaichi, 64, a former minister of economic security, leans in favor of the LDP’s right-wing agenda.

On October 15, the next prime minister’s election is scheduled to take place in parliament.

295 LDP members and about 1 million members who paid their dues were the only ones who took part in Saturday’s vote. Only 1% of the Japanese population was represented by it.

Since the LDP is still the largest party in parliament, Takaichi is expected to take over as prime minister Shigeru Ishiba. The LDP-led coalition will need support from opposition lawmakers to run a successful government after the recent elections, but neither chamber currently has majority control.

The party will likely seek to form a coalition with the moderate-centrist Komeito in partnership with at least one of the more centrist-focused key opposition parties.

A declining population, geopolitical upheaval, a faltering economy, and growing unease over immigration will all contribute to Takaichi’s election as prime minister.

However, she will first need to make sure that the LDP, which has been in power almost nonstop since 1955, can woo voters once more.

Koizumi had earlier criticized the state of the party as “crisis” and said “the LDP must regain trust.”

Sanseito, a populist movement that calls immigration a “silent invasion” and credits immigrants with causing numerous ailments, is one of the ups.

In their LDP campaign, Takaichi and Koizumi aimed to appeal to voters who were drawn to Sanseito’s comments about foreigners, whether they were immigrants or tourists.

Takaichi urged Japan to “reconsider policies that accommodate people from completely different cultures and backgrounds.”

Koizumi continued, “Local residents are worried about the worsening of public safety and the illegal employment of foreigners.”

In Japan, where only 3 percent of the population is born abroad, there is a rare instance of such alarmism from mainstream politicians.

In keeping with her mentor, former prime minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi has previously supported aggressive monetary easing and large fiscal spending.

However, she moderated her campaign rhetoric, and China has also heard from the regular visitor to the Yasukuni war shrine.

Celebrations of a woman becoming Japan’s leader may quickly turn into disappointment because they are from the LDP’s traditionalist wing.

Tokai University professor Yuki Tsuji told the AFP news agency that Takaichi “has no interest in women’s rights or gender equality policies.”

Koizumi lacks depth and may have become unpopular with voters despite his charisma and contemporary image because he took paternity leave and surfs.

Koizumi is “good at displaying how reform-minded he is, but he’s not very good at debate,” according to Sadafumi Kawato, professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo, according to AFP.