Takaichi Wins LDP Runoff; Parliament Vote Mid-October

Sanae Takaichi was elected leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, defeating Shinjiro Koizumi 185–156 in a runoff, and is expected to become the country’s first female prime minister when parliament votes, likely in mid-October. Although the LDP has lost outright majorities in both houses, precedent and the party’s dominance in the lower house make her approval highly likely. A hardline conservative and self‑described China hawk with ties to the late Shinzo Abe, Takaichi has prioritized stronger national defence, economic security and tougher limits on immigration and foreign property purchases. Her nationalist gestures — including visits to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine — and controversial remarks about foreign crime, along with conservative social views such as opposing married couples having different surnames, have raised domestic and regional concerns. The result highlighted generational and factional splits in the LDP, with lawmakers tending to favor Koizumi while grassroots members backed Takaichi amid recent electoral losses, a slush‑fund scandal and the rise of anti‑immigration forces.