Historic Milestone: Sanae Takaichi Becomes Japan's First Female Prime Minister Amid Political Challenges

Sanae Takaichi is Japan's fifth premier in as many years

Japan appointed its first woman prime minister on Tuesday after Sanae Takaichi, a China hawk and social conservative, secured a last-minute coalition agreement.

Japan's fifth leader in five years will head a minority government and faces numerous challenges, including an upcoming visit from US President Donald Trump next week.

Parliament named Takaichi, an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, as prime minister on Tuesday, following her unexpected majority win in the first round of voting.

She will officially assume office after meeting with the emperor later.

The former heavy metal drummer became head of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on October 4, a party that has governed almost continuously for decades but is experiencing declining support.

Six days later, the Komeito party ended their coalition over concerns about Takaichi's conservative views and an LDP slush fund scandal.

This development forced Takaichi to form an alliance with the reformist, right-leaning Japan Innovation Party (JIP), which was finalized Monday evening.

JIP advocates for eliminating consumption tax on food, abolishing corporate donations, and reducing the number of parliamentarians.

Takaichi committed Monday to "make Japan's economy stronger, and reshape Japan as a country that can be responsible for future generations."

"She's a strong-minded person, regardless of being a woman," pensioner Toru Takahashi, 76, told AFP in Takaichi's hometown Nara.

"She's not like Trump. But she's clear about what's right and wrong."

Takaichi has promised a cabinet with "Nordic" levels of women, up from two under outgoing premier Shigeru Ishiba.

These may include the right-wing Satsuki Katayama handling finances and half-American Kimi Onoda as economic security minister, according to local media.

Japan ranked 118 out of 148 in the World Economic Forum's 2025 Global Gender Gap Report. Approximately 15 percent of lower house MPs are women and corporate boardrooms remain predominantly male.

Takaichi, 64, has expressed hopes to raise awareness about women's health challenges and has spoken openly about her personal experience with menopause.

However, she opposes changing a 19th-century law requiring married couples to share the same surname, and supports maintaining male-only succession in the imperial family.

In Nara, company worker Keiko Yoshida, 39, told AFP she hopes Takaichi will "make Japan a more liveable place for women".

"I'd be happy if we saw more policies from a woman's perspective: support for childcare, and help for women returning to work after having children," agreed student Nina Terao, 18.

Unresolved details of a trade agreement between Washington and Tokyo remain, and Trump also wants Japan to cease Russian energy imports and increase defense spending.

"I'd like her to be a Prime Minister who can clearly say 'No' when needed," Satoshi Sakamoto, 73, another Nara pensioner, told AFP.

Beyond Trump, Takaichi faces numerous challenges including reversing Japan's population decline and stimulating the stagnant economy.

Being a minority in both houses of parliament, the new coalition will require support from other parties to pass legislation.

Takaichi has previously supported aggressive monetary easing and expanded government spending, following her mentor, former premier Shinzo Abe.

Despite stepping back from these "Abenomics" positions during the LDP leadership contest, her victory has driven Japanese stocks to record highs.

She previously stated that "Japan is completely looked down on by China", and that Tokyo must "address the security threat" posed by Beijing.

However, she has recently moderated her rhetoric on China, and avoided last week's festival at the Yasukuni shrine - where she had been a regular visitor previously - which honors Japan's war dead.

Takaichi will also face pressure to revive the LDP's fortunes following a series of poor election results that led to Ishiba's resignation.

Smaller parties gaining popularity include the populist Sanseito, which describes immigration as a "silent invasion".

"Prices have gone up, and it's tough," Nara pensioner Satoe Tominaga, 77, told AFP, saying she was "50-50" about Takaichi.

"Honestly, I mostly shop at 100-yen ($0.66) stores now."