Japan’s First Female Prime Minister Inherits a Shaky Office

Sanae Takaichi may not get a chance to implement her hard-line conservatism.

Sanae Takaichi speaks at a press conference. October 21, 2025, 2:35 PM Comment icon View Comments ( )

Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader, Sanae Takaichi, has become the country’s first female prime minister , partnering with a small populist party to try to pick up the necessary votes for a first-round victory in parliament. But the hard-right Takaichi has an uncertain mandate that will likely mean new elections before she can get very far with her ambitious agenda.

Takaichi, 64, takes over from Shigeru Ishiba, who was forced out by the party after a dismal showing in July elections for the upper house of parliament where the

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