Leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, Sanae Takaichi, has been elected as the country’s 104th prime minister, making her the first woman to hold the post, Kyodo reports.
During the vote in the lower house of parliament, Takaichi received 237 votes out of 465. Her main opponent, Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda, received 149 votes.
The victory was made possible by the LDP’s alliance with the conservative Japan Renewal Party, which provided Takaichi with the necessary support. She will soon begin forming a new government.
Takaiti is an experienced politician who previously held a number of cabinet positions and supported the economic policy of “Abenomics” of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. She will now succeed Shigeru Ishiba as Prime Minister.
Experts say the new head of government will continue the general line of the ruling party, which is facing geopolitical challenges and tense relations with the United States due to customs restrictions on key export sectors and defense commitments. At the same time, Takaiti has less than two weeks left to prepare for the visit of US President Donald Trump to Japan.
