Japan New PM: Sanae Takaichi became the first woman Prime Minister of Japan on Tuesday. According to several media reports, she was appointed as the PM after he won in the first round of voting. Meanwhile, outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned with his cabinet on Tuesday, marking an end to the administration that took office just over a year ago.
The 64-year-old, Sanae Takaichi, embedded her name in Japan’s history. She is the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). She was reportedly backed by the Japan Innovation Party, which has formed a new coalition with the LDP following Komeito’s withdrawal from an alliance.
Sanae Takaichi will soon finalise cabinet appointments, and the chief cabinet secretary is scheduled to announce the lineup.
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Who Is Sanae Takaichi?
According an IANS report, Japan’s former Economic Security Minister, Sanae Takaichi, brings with her over three decades of parliamentary experience.
The new PM of Japan is a former television anchor. Sanae Takaichi entered Japanese politics in 1993, and won a seat in the Lower House as an independent. The lawmaker currently represents her home prefecture of Nara.
Takaichi joined Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 1996 and entered the Cabinet for the first time under former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe.
She has held the position of the Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs.
This is not the first time Takaichi is making history, she is also the first woman to chair the LDP’s Policy Research Council.
From 2022 to 2024, Takaichi was Japan’s Economic Security Minister.
Takaichi holds the record as the longest-serving Minister for Internal Affairs in Japan, a post she held in several tenures.
The report further states that as the Prime Minister, Takaichi will serve the remainder of former PM Shigeru Ishiba’s three-year term, which ends in September 2027.
Sanae Takaichi has also been known for resisting progressive reforms, particularly regarding gender equality. She has opposed same-sex marriage, supports male-only succession in the imperial family, and does not back legal changes allowing married couples to have separate surnames.
(with IANS inputs)