Japan is poised for its first-ever female prime minister

Source: NBC News

Oct. 4, 2025, 2:01 AM EDT / Updated Oct. 4, 2025, 4:55 AM EDT


TOKYO — Japan’s governing party elected Sanae Takaichi as its new leader on Saturday, setting her up to become the U.S. ally’s first female prime minister.

Takaichi defeated Shinjiro Koizumi 185 to 156 in a second-round runoff vote to become leader of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed Japan almost uninterrupted since the end of World War II.

The leadership race was triggered last month when Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he would step down after a year in office. Though Takaichi is likely to succeed him as prime minister of Japan, the world’s fourth-largest economy, when parliament votes later this month, it is not guaranteed since the LDP-led coalition lost its majority in both houses in the past year.

“Right now, rather than feeling happy, I truly believe this is where the real challenge begins,” Takaichi said in her victory speech. “There is a mountain of work we must all tackle together.” She also said it was important to make the LDP, which has been tarnished by corruption scandals, “a more spirited and vibrant party, a party that transforms people’s anxieties into hope.”

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/japan-sanae-takaichi-elected-leader-liberal-democratic-party-rcna235578