Sanae Takaichi makes history as Japan’s first woman prime minister
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Liberal Democratic Party president Sanae Takaichi standing to acknowledge the applause after she was selected as Japan's next prime minister on Oct 21.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO – In a landmark moment for Japan, Ms Sanae Takaichi has risen to the nation’s highest political office and become its first woman prime minister after a parliamentary vote on Oct 21.
But any hopes that her appointment will lead to better gender equality might be premature, as she named just two women to her 18-member Cabinet team.
Her coronation as Japan’s 104th prime minister came after she prevailed in the PM election in both the Lower and Upper Houses, with the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s Mr Yoshihiko Noda the runner-up.
In the 465-seat Lower House, Ms Takaichi scored a simple majority of 237 votes, with several independents also believed to have supported her. Her road to victory, however, was not so clear-cut in the 248-member Upper House, where it took a run-off before she was declared the winner with 125 votes.
“From now on, I will work tirelessly, fearlessly and with determination, for the sake of our nation and its people,” she told reporters in her first press conference as prime minister. “I have a clear resolve to build a strong Japanese economy while protecting Japan’s national interests through diplomacy and security.”
Ms Takaichi, 64, often described as a hardline conservative who is both a security hawk and fiscal dove, is a protege of the late former prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) thrown into doubt
Yet just 10 days later, the LDP entered a new “coalition pact”
Regardless, the LDP promised substantial concessions to the JIP for its support in Parliament, although Ms Takaichi still leads a minority government as the two parties are just shy of a majority in both Chambers.
Earlier on Oct 21, Mr Shigeru Ishiba formally resigned as prime minister after 386 days in office, making him the 24th longest-serving out of 36 post-war leaders. He announced his intention to step aside
Ms Takaichi’s inauguration as prime minister on Oct 21 drove the Nikkei 225 Index to close at a record high of 49,316.06 points, after almost hitting 50,000 in an intraday record high, as investors expect more fiscal stimulus. But critics fear her measures will worsen inflation, weaken the yen and drive up fiscal debt.
Congratulations flooded in from global leaders, including Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong,
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te called Ms Takaichi a “staunch friend of Taiwan”, writing on X: “Taiwan and Japan are close partners with shared values... I look forward to working with PM Takaichi to deepen cooperation and safeguard the security, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific.”
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun urged Tokyo to “abide by (its) political commitments related to history and Taiwan”.
While she did not discuss China or Taiwan during her press conference, Ms Takaichi said she values South Korea as “an important partner and neighbouring country”, in response to a question regarding concerns in Seoul about deteriorating bilateral ties.
In a light-hearted moment, she quipped that she loves eating South Korean seaweed, uses South Korean cosmetics and watches South Korean dramas, even as she stressed her hopes of continuing the “shuttle diplomacy” that began under her predecessors.
She said: “The importance of Japan-South Korea relations is growing even more, and I hope to develop this future-oriented and stable relationship.”
Meanwhile, with the dawn of the Takaichi administration, all eyes were on her Cabinet appointments.
Mr Shinjiro Koizumi, 44, was named defence minister after serving as agriculture minister in Mr Ishiba’s Cabinet. Mr Toshimitsu Motegi, 70, returns as foreign minister, a role he held from 2019 to 2021.
Mr Yoshimasa Hayashi, 64, who was Mr Ishiba’s No. 2 as chief Cabinet secretary, took over the internal affairs and communications portfolio. Mr Ryosei Akazawa, 64, who led Japan’s trade negotiations with the United States, was named economy minister.
The average age of the Cabinet, including the prime minister herself, is 59.4 years – which is younger than the 63.6 years of Mr Ishiba’s team.
Like in the previous Cabinet, there are two women ministers in Ms Takaichi’s team, despite previous promises of female representation “not particularly lower than Nordic countries’
Ms Satsuki Katayama, 66, was named Japan’s first woman finance minister,
JIP’s five-term lawmaker Takashi Endo was named “special adviser” to the prime minister.
In the Lower House, the LDP has 196 seats and the JIP, 35, for a combined 231 seats, just two short of a majority. And in the Upper House, the LDP’s 101 seats and JIP’s 19 give them a total of 120 seats, four short of a majority.
This means the parties will still need the support of other opposition parties for the passage of budgets and Bills. But the leaders of smaller, ideologically aligned groups like the Democratic Party For The People and Sanseito have pledged to work with Ms Takaichi’s government on an ad hoc policy basis.
The LDP and JIP inked their deal on Oct 20 after reaching a broad consensus on the latter’s list of 12 areas of demands.
“As parties sharing the same national vision, I am very much looking forward to working together to strengthen Japan’s economy and transform the country into a shape that can be responsibly passed on to future generations,” Ms Takaichi said after signing the coalition pact with JIP.
JIP leader Hirofumi Yoshimura, the Osaka governor, echoed her sentiments and highlighted a shared commitment to advancing reforms.
Among other things, Ms Takaichi agreed to establish a population strategy, which will include measures to curb the rising percentage of foreign residents.
She also accepted demands to launch a government efficiency bureau – akin to the United States’ Department of Government Efficiency – and work towards lowering social insurance premiums. She will also push for legislation for Osaka to be named as Japan’s “sub-capital”, with some government and economic functions moved away from Tokyo.
Another significant compromise is an agreement to seek the reduction of the number of Lower House members by 10 per cent – or around 45 lawmakers – which the JIP argues is necessary for reforms. This is, however, controversial even within the LDP, where lawmakers fear the impact on their political presence in rural regions.
While differences still remain between the parties on demands such as a two-year tax exemption on food items and a complete ban on corporate and group donations, they agreed to continue talks to reach a compromise.
Professor Ko Maeda, who teaches political science at the University of North Texas, told The Straits Times: “Ms Takaichi will have to strike a delicate balance between pleasing the party’s conservative support base and not alienating moderate voters.”
He noted that the alliance came at a time when both parties needed each other. The JIP is a waning force outside its stronghold in Osaka and saw partnering with the LDP as a positive change of course. The LDP, meanwhile, wanted to ensure it could stay in power.
“In this sense, their partnership is a marriage of convenience,” he said. “The LDP conceded a lot to Ishin to form this partnership. But since they don’t have a majority in Parliament, any reform Bill may be voted down, giving a good excuse to the LDP for not achieving the policy goals they agreed upon.”
Political scientist Koichi Nakano of Sophia University said that the JIP appears opportunistic by not being part of the government. “It is as if they want influence and credibility while leaving open the door to jump ship without taking responsibility if the Takaichi government falters.”
Dr Mikitaka Masuyama of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies agreed that there were fragilities in the coalition agreement, especially if the LDP fails to succeed on the reforms pushed for by the JIP.
Ms Takaichi, thus, may push for more aggressive foreigner policy, being clued in on public opinion, he said, noting that “a period of relative stability” beckons if she wins broad support.
Ms Takaichi is expected to deliver her policy speech to the Diet on Oct 24, and will serve the remaining two years of Mr Ishiba’s intended three-year tenure as LDP president, with the party to hold its next leadership vote in September 2027.
Barring a snap election, no national vote is due until 2028.
