- Takaichi becomes Japan’s first female prime minister.
- Takaichi’s election marks a shift to the right in Japan.
- Stock markets are optimistic about Takaichi’s economic policies.
Hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi was set to become Japan’s first female prime minister on Tuesday after winning a critical vote in the lower house of parliament.
Takaichi, who is partial to former prime minister Shinzo Abe and an admirer of Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, received 237 votes in the lower house election to choose the next prime minister, topping the chamber’s 465-seat majority.
Her victory shatters the glass ceiling in a country where men still hold overwhelming sway and puts Japan, a close American ally, on a sharp rightward shift.
Her victory comes after her Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled Japan for most of its post-war history, agreed to a coalition deal with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin.
Takaichi is likely to be approved by the less powerful upper house and sworn in as Japan’s 104th prime minister tonight to succeed incumbent Shigeru Ishiba, who announced his resignation last month to take responsibility for election losses.
But her elevation is unlikely to be celebrated as a sign of progressive change, marking instead a shift to the right on immigration and social issues. After years of deflation, Japan is now grappling with rising prices, something that has sparked public anger and fueled support for opposition groups including the far-right Sanseito party.
