Sanae Takaichi wins party vote, poised to be Japan's 1st woman PM

Sanae Takaichi is likely to be Japan's first female prime minister after winning the race on Saturday to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

The former internal affairs minister, a conservative nationalist with an expansionary agenda, is expected to replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba since the LDP is the largest in parliament.



Comments by Yuka Hayashi, VP, The Asia Group, Washington


"Takaichi is a very experienced politician. She has had some experience working in the U.S. as well, a long-term observer of U.S.-Japan relations, so that's her strength.

"She said that she's confident that she could build a very strong personal relationship with President Trump. And the reason for that is her policy focuses on what she calls the 'Japan First' policy. And that kind of corresponds to President Trump's America First policy. She sees that sort of common thread there. On the other hand, she's a hardliner, very conservative when it comes to Japan's relationship with its Asian neighbours.


"She has had a very hawkish stance on World War II legacy issues. She has insisted on visiting the Yasukuni Shrine numerous times, knowing that would inflame Japan's relationship with its neighbours. So there is some concern that she could fuel tensions with the relationship with South Korea and China.

"This is a very challenging time for the LDP so I think she would probably try to focus on party unity and be very careful about taking excessively conservative hard-line stances in foreign policy."