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History is being made as Japan prepares for its first female prime minister, following Sanae Takaichi was elected as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Her win ensures her installation as the country's new leader in the middle of the month.

A Right-Wing Visionary Triumphs

Takaichi, a hawkish politician who has voiced praise for Margaret Thatcher in her quest to build a “powerful and thriving” Japan on the global scene, overcame her liberal competitor, Shinjiro Koizumi, in a runoff election at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo recently.

The election for party president was held after the outgoing prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, leaving office after only one year as leader. Ishiba, a moderate whose rise to power had angered the right wing of his party, stated it was time to find a successor to lead a “reformed Liberal Democratic Party”.

Inheriting a Challenged Party

Takaichi, 64, takes charge of a party that has faced two difficult elections in the past year as voters withdrew support over a funding scandal and its inability to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

“Lately, I have heard harsh voices from across the country saying we don’t know what the LDP stands for any more,” Takaichi said shortly preceding the final ballot. “That pressing concern propelled me. I wanted to turn people’s anxieties about their everyday existence and the future into confidence.”

Voting Process

Predictably, Takaichi secured the initial vote, obtaining 183 of 589 votes, with Koizumi in second place with 164 votes. Three other candidates were knocked out from the contest. The second round, in which MPs’ votes were given greater weight than those of rank-and-file party members, should have benefited Koizumi, who was said to be more favored among lawmakers. But it was Takaichi who came out victorious after the second, decisive round.

Journey to Leadership

Although the LDP-led coalition no longer holds a majority of seats in parliament, Takaichi is largely predicted to be confirmed as prime minister when MPs vote in the middle of the month.

To block her from the prime ministership, opposition parties would have to unite behind their own candidate – a scenario analysts concur is virtually impossible.

Immediate Challenges

Her immediate task will be to bring together the LDP and regain public support after over twelve months of controversy and voting defeats.

She will also have to address public concern over immigration and excessive visitor numbers, and try to win over younger voters who turned to fringe groups such as Sanseito in this summer’s senate vote. Japan should “reconsider policies that allow in people with completely different cultures and backgrounds”, Takaichi said in her election rhetoric.

Meaning and Policies

It is impossible to understate the importance of Takaichi’s victory in a country that has scarce female representation and corporate executives, and regularly scores low in global gender gap comparisons. She has, nevertheless, resisted policies that many voters believe would promote gender equality, such as permitting women to become female emperors and married couples to use individual family names.

Broader Context

The Saturday's election had been described by analysts as a struggle over direction of the LDP, which has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for the post-war era. Its ruling position has been significantly weakened, however, by a protracted controversy involving dozens of MPs who were found to have funneled undeclared income from the sale of tickets to party gatherings into unofficial reserves.

Takaichi, a defense conservative, will also face a volatile security environment in east Asia, including the rise of a informal coalition against the West comprising China, Russia and North Korea, and the redrawing of economic ties with the US under Donald Trump, who will reportedly visit Japan towards the end of the month.

Ballot System

Each of the LDP’s 295 lawmakers cast a vote in the first round of Saturday’s vote, with an identical count of votes distributed based on the preferences of just over 1 million rank-and-file supporters who had submitted ballots early.

After none of the candidates secured an overall majority in the first round, Takaichi and Koizumi faced off, with each of the LDP’s 295 lawmakers casting one vote and the membership’s share reduced to 47 votes, one for each of Japan’s prefectures.