- Takaichi is set to become 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 policy.
Radical conservative Sanae Takaichi is expected to become Japan’s first female prime minister on Tuesday after winning a critical vote in Parliament’s lower house.
An acolyte of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and admirer of Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi obtained 237 votes in the lower house elections to choose the next prime minister, surpassing the majority of the chamber’s 465 seats.
His victory shatters the glass ceiling in a country where men still wield overwhelming influence and places Japan, a close U.S. ally, in a strong shift to the right.
His victory comes after his Liberal Democratic Party, which governed Japan for most of its postwar history, agreed to a coalition deal with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin.
Takaichi will likely be approved by the less powerful upper house and be sworn in tonight as Japan’s 104th prime minister to succeed outgoing President Shigeru Ishiba, who last month announced his resignation to take responsibility for election defeats.
But his elevation is unlikely to be seen as a sign of progressive change, instead marking a shift to the right on immigration and social issues. After years of deflation, Japan is now grappling with rising prices, which has sparked public anger and fueled support for opposition groups, including the far-right Sanseito party.
