Takaichi Consolidates Power, Alarms Coalition

Sanae Takaichi, 64, was elected president of the Liberal Democratic Party and is poised to become Japan’s first female prime minister pending a parliamentary confirmation vote. She filled top party posts with allies from the Taro Aso faction—appointing Taro Aso as party vice president and former finance minister Shunichi Suzuki as secretary-general—while sidelining rivals including Shinjiro Koizumi and allies of Suga, Kishida and Ishiba. The Aso–Suzuki lineup is intended to balance stimulus‑friendly instincts with assurances of fiscal discipline and sent stocks higher and the yen lower on expectations of large fiscal measures. Her hard-line stances, including visits to the Yasukuni Shrine and revisionist wartime views, have alarmed coalition partner Komeito and risk straining ties with Beijing and Seoul, prompting urgent coalition talks. Takaichi faces immediate domestic pressure to address inflation and restore public support and must navigate diplomatic tests such as a likely summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.