Sanae Takaichi Set to Become Japan's First Female Head of Government
Japan's governing conservative political faction has elected Sanae Takaichi as its latest chief, paving the way for the 64-year-old to assume the role of the country's first woman prime minister.
Takaichi is among the more conservative contenders leaning to the right flank of the party. She faces numerous obstacles such as bringing together a struggling governing faction after a chaotic few years which saw it rocked by controversies and factional disputes.
She also has to address a slow-growing economic situation and families in Japan grappling with persistent price rises and static incomes.
If confirmed, she will also have to manage a unstable bilateral ties with the US and implement the tariff deal with the former US government agreed by the prior administration.
Change in Leadership
Recently, Premier Shigeru Ishiba, whose tenure spanned slightly more than twelve months, announced he would step down after a series of electoral losses that saw the LDP's governing coalition lose its majority in both chambers of parliament.
Takaichi has been a long-time admirer of the UK's first woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. She is now inching closer to fulfilling her Iron Lady ambition.
Policy Positions
But many women voters don't see her as an progressive voice.
Takaichi is a staunch conservative who's consistently resisted laws allowing women to keep their maiden names after marriage, saying it is against tradition. She is also against same sex marriage.
A follower of the late former leader Shinzo Abe, Takaichi has vowed to revive his financial strategy, known as Abenomics – which includes high fiscal spending and cheap borrowing.
The seasoned LDP member is hardline on defense and plans to alter Japan's peace-oriented charter.
She's also a regular visitor of the contentious Yasukuni shrine where the nation's wartime casualties including some convicted war criminals are remembered.
Parliamentary Confirmation
She will probably be approved by parliament, though not as a formality as with earlier leaders because the governing faction is in a much weaker position now having lost its majority in each chamber.
