🔗 Share this article Takaichi Sanae Set to Become the Nation's First Woman Prime Minister Japan's ruling conservative political faction has elected Sanae Takaichi as its latest chief, positioning the sixty-four-year-old to become the country's first female prime minister. Takaichi ranks among the staunchly right-wing hopefuls leaning to the party's right. She faces numerous obstacles including uniting a struggling governing faction after a chaotic few years which saw it impacted by controversies and factional disputes. She must also address a sluggish economic situation and Japanese households struggling with relentless inflation and unchanging pay. Upon approval, she will also have to steer through a rocky US-Japan relationship and see through the trade agreement with the Trump administration agreed by the prior administration. New Party Head Recently, Premier Shigeru Ishiba, whose tenure spanned just over a year, stated he would leave office after a series of election defeats that saw the LDP's ruling alliance lose its majority in both chambers of parliament. Takaichi has been a long-time admirer of Britain's first woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. She is now ever closer to realizing her Thatcherite ambition. Ideological Views But numerous female electors don't see her as an champion of advancement. Takaichi is a staunch conservative who's long opposed laws allowing women to retain their birth surnames after marriage, saying it is against tradition. She is opposed to same sex marriage. A protégé of the late former leader Shinzo Abe, Takaichi has vowed to revive his economic vision, called Abenomics – which includes substantial government expenditure and low-cost loans. The seasoned LDP member is hardline on defense and aims to amend Japan's peace-oriented charter. She's also a regular visitor of the controversial Yasukuni shrine where the nation's wartime casualties among them some found guilty of war crimes are honored. Legislative Approval She will likely be confirmed by parliament, although not automatically like her predecessors because the governing faction is in a far less dominant stance now after losing its majority in each chamber.