Sanae Takaichi has decided to make history as the first woman Prime Minister of Japan

Japan is on the right track to obtain its first wife Prime Minister after the main conservative party elected Sanae Takaichi as a new leader.

Takaichi, the former Minister of Economic Security of Japan, beat the Minister of Agriculture Shinjiro Koizumi, son of former People’s Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, during a runoff in an intraparty vote on Saturday by the Liberal Democratic leader party.

Takaichi replaces Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba while the party seeks to resume public support and stay in power.

Despite major electoral losses, the Liberal Democratic Party remains by far the most important in the lower chamber and determines the leader of Japan because the opposition groups are very fragmented.

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Former Minister of Economic Security Sanae Takaichi speaks during the election of management of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday October 4, 2025. (Kim Kyung-Hoon / Pool Photo via AP)

During the first voting round, Takaichi finished first with 183 votes and the Minister of Agriculture, Shinjiro Koizumi, ranked second with 164. Because none of the candidates reached the majority in the first round, the winner was determined during an immediate bidirectional runoff.

The Minister of Agriculture of Japan, Shinjiro Koizumi, speaks during the management elections of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday October 4, 2025. (Kim Kyung-Hoon / Pool Photo via AP)

The LDP, whose consecutive losses in the parliamentary elections in the past year have left it in the minority in the two chambers, asked for a leader who can quickly meet national and international challenges, while seeking cooperation with key opposition groups to implement its policies.

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Takaichi, a hard curator who quoted the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as hero, called to strengthen the military in Japan and adopt a more difficult position against China and North Korea. It also opposes homosexual marriage and retains links with nationalist groups.

Photos of the candidates who arise for the leader of the Liberal Democratic leader party are displayed at the party’s headquarters in Tokyo on October 3, 2025. (Yohei Fukai / Kyodo News via AP)

Takaichi also faces a possible summit with President Donald Trump, who could demand that Japan increase his defense expenses. A meeting would be scheduled for the end of October. Trump will go to the top of economic cooperation in Asia-Pacific in South Korea from October 31.

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The LDP also needs the help of the opposition, which it has long neglected. The party will probably seek to extend its coalition with the moderate centrist Komeito with at least one of the main opposition parties, which are more centrist.

A parliamentary vote is expected in mid-October.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.