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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Japan ruling party picks new leader, likely to become country’s first
female prime minister
Story by Associated Press
Updated:
7:16 AM EDT, Sat October 4, 2025
Source: CNN
Japan’s governing party on Saturday elected former Economic Security
Minister Sanae Takaichi as its new leader, making her likely to become
the country’s first female prime minister.
In a country that ranks poorly internationally for gender equality,
Takaichi would make history as the of Japan’s long-governing
conservative Liberal Democratic Party. She is one of the most
conservative members of the male-dominated party.
Takaichi beat Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, the son of popular
former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, in a runoff in an intraparty
vote by the LDP on Saturday.
Takaichi replaces Prime Minister as the party hopes to regain public
support and stay in power after major election losses.
She is likely to be Japan’s next prime minister because the party
remains by far the largest in the lower house, which determines the
national leader, and because opposition groups are highly splintered.
The LDP, whose consecutive losses in parliamentary elections in the
past year have left it in the minority in both houses, wants to select
a leader who can quickly address challenges in and outside Japan, while
seeking cooperation from key opposition groups to implement its
policies.
Five candidates — two currently serving and three former ministers
— were vying for the LDP presidency.
Saturday’s vote only involved 295 LDP parliamentarians and about 1
million dues-paying members. It only reflected 1 per cent of the
Japanese public.
A parliamentary vote is expected in mid-October. The LDP, which has
been criticized by opposition leaders for creating a prolonged
political vacuum, needs to hurry because the winner will soon face a
diplomatic test: a possible summit with U.S. President Donald Trump,
who could demand that Japan increase its .
A meeting is reportedly being planned for late October. Trump will
travel to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea
starting October 31.
Cross-party support
The LDP also needs help from the opposition, which it has long
neglected. 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.
All five candidates have called themselves “moderate conservatives”
to show their willingness to work with the opposition.
They all campaigned for measures to combat rising prices and achieve
larger salary increases, to strengthen defense and the economy, and for
tougher measures on foreign workers. They stayed away from divisive
liberal social issues such as gender equality and sexual diversity.
Experts say they avoided discussing their usual political views on
historical issues, same-sex marriage and other contentious topics,
including the party’s political funds scandal, which was the biggest
reason for their election losses, and anti-corruption measures.
Their avoidance of these subjects raised doubts over the party’s
ability to regain public trust, analysts said.
Earlier polls had Koizumi, Takaichi and Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yoshimasa Hayashi, a moderate veteran politician as front-runners.
Two others, Trade Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Economic Minister
Takayuki Kobayashi, were seen as less likely contenders.
Koizumi would have been the youngest prime minister in more than a
century if he had won.
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