If elected prime minister, Takaichi will face a host of issues, including an ageing population and growing unease about immigration.
Sanae Takaichi has been elected to lead Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and is therefore likely to become the next prime minister, the first woman to lead the nation in its history.
Takaichi beat Shinjiro Koizumi, the son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, in a run-off vote on Saturday after none of the five candidates won a majority in the first round of voting.
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Koizumi would have been the youngest prime minister in more than a century if he had won.
A former economic security minister, Takaichi, 64, skews towards the right-wing flank of the LDP.
A vote in parliament to choose the next prime minister is expected to be held on October 15.
Saturday’s vote only involved 295 LDP parliamentarians and about 1 million dues-paying members. It only reflected 1% of the Japanese public.
Takaichi is expected to replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba since the LDP remains the largest party in parliament. However, following the recent elections, the LDP-led coalition no longer holds majorities in either chamber and will require cooperation from opposition lawmakers to govern effectively.
The party will likely look to expand its current coalition with the moderate centrist Komeito with at least one of the key opposition parties, which are more centrist.
If elected prime minister, Takaichi will face a host of complex issues, including an ageing population, geopolitical upheaval, a faltering economy and growing unease about immigration.
First, however, she will have to ensure that the LDP, which has governed almost nonstop since 1955, can rally voters again.
“The LDP must regain trust, and an overhaul is needed for us to start afresh,” Koizumi had said in the campaign, calling the state of the party a “crisis”.
One party on the up is Sanseito, which echoes other populist movements in calling immigration a “silent invasion” and blames newcomers for a host of ills.
Takaichi and Koizumi in the LDP campaign sought to appeal to voters attracted by Sanseito’s messaging about foreigners, whether migrants or the throngs of tourists.
Japan should “reconsider policies that allow in people with completely different cultures and backgrounds”, said Takaichi.
Koizumi added: “Illegal employment of foreigners and the worsening of public safety are leading to anxiety among local residents.”
Such alarmism from mainstream politicians is rare in Japan, where people born abroad make up just 3 percent of the population.
On the economy, Takaichi has in the past backed aggressive monetary easing and big fiscal spending, echoing her mentor, former premier Shinzo Abe.
But she tempered her stance on the campaign trail, and the regular visitor to the Yasukuni war shrine has also sounded more moderate on China.
Coming from the traditionalist wing of the LDP, celebrations that a woman is finally leading Japan may soon turn to disappointment.
Takaichi “has no interest in women’s rights or gender equality policies,” Yuki Tsuji, a professor specialising in politics and gender at Tokai University, told the AFP news agency.
Experts had worried that for all his charisma and modern image – he took paternity leave and surfs – Koizumi lacks depth and could have become a liability with voters.
Koizumi is “good at displaying how reform-minded he is, but he’s not very good at debate, so I wonder how long his popularity will be maintained after parliament opens,” Sadafumi Kawato, professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo, told AFP.
Whoever is elected within the LDP will soon face a diplomatic test: a possible summit in late October with United States President Donald Trump, who could demand that Japan increase its defence spending. Trump will travel to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea starting October 31.
