EXPLAINER
Takaichi, an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, is a social conservative and faces a range of challenges stepping into office.
Sanae Takaichi is set to become the first female prime minister of Japan after winning a leadership vote in the legislature.
She was due to meet with Emperor Naruhito on Tuesday following her win, solidifying her place in history.
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Here’s what you need to know about Japan’s next leader:
What is Takaichi’s background?
Takaichi, 64, entered Japanese politics in the 1990s as a member of the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
She was born in Nara prefecture in central Japan and graduated from Kobe University, according to her official biography.
Her upbringing was somewhat more humble than other senior members of the LDP, many of whom graduated from elite universities like the University of Tokyo and the Harvard Kennedy School.
Takaichi is best known as the protege of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. She served in several iterations of his cabinet and in the cabinet of the former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
What are Takaichi’s politics?
An admirer of the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi has been referred to in the media as Japan’s “Iron Lady” for her similarly conservative bent.
In the recent leadership race, Takaichi advocated for economic policies reminiscent of her mentor’s “Abenomics” – a strategy of fiscal expansion, monetary easing and structural reform.
On social issues, she opposes same-sex marriage, takes a harder line on immigration, and believes the imperial succession should still give preference to men.
She’s also known as a “China hawk” who supports a stronger military and status quo in the Taiwan Strait. As a member of the LDP, she has also made several visits to meet Taipei’s political parties, much to the chagrin of China.
Other controversial trips include past visits to Yasukuni Shrine, a memorial to Japan’s war dead. The shrine is a thorny issue in Japan and abroad because it also enshrines World War II war criminals.
What does Takaichi’s win mean for Japan?
Takaichi’s victory means that Japan will continue down a path of conservative governance with a more right-wing shift, according to experts.
Conservative politics in Japan, however, are somewhat different from the West, says Stephen Nagy, a professor of politics and international studies at Japan’s International Christian University.
While Takaichi wants to strengthen Japan’s defence force and curb immigration, one thing she will not be changing is Japan’s social welfare system.
“Conservative in Japan means strong on security, it means strong on China, it means strong US-Japan relations. It means protecting the emperor system,” he told Al Jazeera ahead of the vote. “It usually [also] means an interventionist government that provides quite a bit of social welfare programmes.
“We’ll see Takaichi lead a new conservative LDP party – but conservative in the Japanese-defined sense of conservative,” he added.
What’s next for Takaichi?
Takaichi’s road to victory was not straightforward, and she still faces many uncertainties.
She will become Japan’s fourth prime minister in five years and takes the helm from a relatively weak position.
While the LDP has been the dominant political force in post-war Japan, the party has lost its majority in both houses of the legislature over the past two years. Its long-term coalition with the far-right Sanseito party also collapsed shortly after Takaichi was elected leader of the LDP in October, due to disagreements about campaign donations and anticorruption measures.
The LDP was able to form a new alliance with the Japan Innovation Party, another conservative party, securing enough seats in the legislature for Takaichi’s win this week.
But as PM, Takaichi will need to address challenges ranging from Japan’s cost of living crisis to the effects of US President Donald Trump’s trade war, and the country’s long-term security concerns about China and North Korea. The LDP is also still recovering from a major corruption scandal.
Experts say she will also need to soften some of her tougher edges if she wants to stay in power – or face a no-confidence vote from the legislature in the near future.
