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History is being made as Japan prepares for its first female prime minister, following Sanae Takaichi emerged victorious as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). This victory ensures her installation as the country's new leader by mid-month.

A Conservative Leader Wins

Takaichi, a conservative figure who has voiced praise for Margaret Thatcher in her quest to build a “powerful and thriving” Japan on the global scene, beat her moderate rival, Shinjiro Koizumi, in a second-round vote at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo this past weekend.

The party vote was initiated following the outgoing prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, stepping down after a brief tenure. Ishiba, a centrist whose election last year had angered the right wing of his party, stated it was time to find a successor to lead a “reformed Liberal Democratic Party”.

Leading a Weakened LDP

Takaichi, in her mid-sixties, assumes leadership of a party that has suffered through two difficult elections in the past year as voters punished it over a financial controversy and its failure to address the economic hardship.

“Recently, I have heard strong feedback from across the country saying we are unsure what the LDP believes in any more,” Takaichi said moments before the runoff vote. “That sense of urgency motivated me. I wanted to turn people’s worries about their daily lives and the future into confidence.”

Ballot Details

Predictably, Takaichi won the first round, gaining 183 of 589 votes, with Koizumi in close behind with 164 votes. Three other candidates were knocked out from the contest. The second round, in which MPs’ votes were given higher value than those of rank-and-file party members, should have benefited Koizumi, who was said to be better liked among lawmakers. But it was Takaichi who secured the win after the second, decisive round.

Road to Prime Minister

While the LDP-led coalition no longer holds a majority of seats in parliament, Takaichi is broadly anticipated to be confirmed as prime minister when MPs vote by mid-month.

To prevent her from obtaining the prime ministership, opposition parties would have to agree on their own candidate – a scenario analysts concur is unthinkable.

Urgent Tasks

Her first priority will be to heal internal divisions and regain public support after over twelve months of controversy and electoral setbacks.

She will also have to confront public concern over immigration and excessive visitor numbers, and try to gain the support of 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 during the campaign.

Meaning and Policies

It is hard to overstate the significance of Takaichi’s victory in a country that has few female politicians and business leaders, and regularly scores low in global parity comparisons. She has, however, opposed policies that many voters believe would promote gender equality, such as enabling women to become empresses regnant and married couples to use separate surnames.

Political Landscape

The recent vote had been described by analysts as a contest for the soul of the LDP, which has led the nation almost uninterrupted for the last seventy years. Its political supremacy has been badly shaken, however, by a enduring impropriety involving numerous lawmakers who were found to have siphoned hidden funds from the sale of tickets to party gatherings into unofficial reserves.

Takaichi, a security hardliner, will also face a unstable geopolitical situation in east Asia, including the emergence of a informal coalition against the West comprising China, Russia and North Korea, and the restructuring of economic ties with the US under Donald Trump, who will reportedly visit Japan towards the end of the month.

Voting Mechanics

Each of the LDP’s 295 lawmakers cast a vote in the opening stage of Saturday’s vote, with an matching quantity of votes distributed based on the preferences of just over 1 million rank-and-file supporters who had already cast their votes.

After no contender secured an overall majority in the first round, Takaichi and Koizumi went head to head, 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.