Tokyo — Japan’s parliament elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister on Tuesday, a day after her struggling party struck a coalition deal with a new partner that is expected to pull its government bloc further to the right.
Takaichi replaces Shigeru Ishiba, ending three months of political vacuum and bickering since the Liberal Democratic Party’s disastrous election defeat in July.
Ishiba, who only served as prime minister for a year, resigned along with his cabinet earlier today, paving the way for his successor.
The LDP’s spontaneous alliance with the Osaka-based right-wing Japanese Innovation Party, or Ishin no Kai, secured him the post of prime minister because the opposition is not united. Takaichi’s untested alliance still lacks a majority in both houses of parliament and will have to court other opposition groups to pass legislation – a risk that could make his government unstable and short-lived.
“Political stability is essential at this time,” Takaichi said at Monday’s signing ceremony with PIJ leader and Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura. “Without stability, we cannot promote measures for a strong economy or diplomacy.”
The two parties signed a coalition agreement on policies highlighting Takaichi’s hawkish and nationalist views.
Their last-minute deal came after the Liberal Democrats lost their longtime partner, the Buddhist-backed Komeito, which has a more conciliatory and centrist stance. The breakup threatens to lead to a shift in power for the LDP, which has ruled Japan almost continuously for decades.
Later in the day, Takaichi, 64, will present a cabinet made up of a number of allies of the LDP’s most powerful kingmaker, Taro Aso, and others who supported her in the party leadership vote.
JIP will not hold ministerial positions in Takaichi’s cabinet until his party has confidence in its partnership with the LDP, Yoshimura said.
Takaichi is meeting deadlines – a major policy speech later this week, talks with President Trump and regional summits. It must quickly tackle rising prices and develop measures to revive the economy by the end of December to address public frustration.
Although she is the first woman to serve as Japan’s prime minister, she is in no rush to promote gender equality or diversity.
Takaichi is one of the Japanese politicians who obstructed measures for the advancement of women. Takaichi supports male-only succession in the imperial family and opposes same-sex marriage and allowing separate surnames for married couples.
A protégé of assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is expected to emulate his policies, including a military and economic buildup, as well as an overhaul of Japan’s pacifist constitution. With a potentially weak grip on power, it’s unclear what Takaichi will be able to accomplish.
When Komeito left the governing coalition, he cited the LDP’s lax response to the slush fund scandals that led to their consecutive electoral defeats.
The centrist party has also expressed concern over Takaichi’s revisionist view of Japan’s wartime past and his regular prayers at the Yasukuni Shrine despite protests from Beijing and Seoul, which view the visits as a lack of remorse over Japanese aggression, as well as his recent xenophobic remarks.
Takaichi toned down his hawkish rhetoric. On Friday, she sent a religious decoration instead of going to Yasukuni.
