Sanae Takaichi was elected today as prime minister by the lower house of the Japanese parliament and this is one of the central topics in the Western media, BTA writes.
The sixty-four-year-old nationalist is the first woman to hold this position. Her appointment will be made official after her meeting with Japanese Emperor Naruhito, scheduled for later today. Takaichi was elected in the first round of voting thanks to a parliamentary coalition formed yesterday after last-minute negotiations, notes the French newspaper "Le Monde".
Given the upcoming visit of US President Donald Trump to Tokyo, her fragile coalition and the crisis with the rising cost of living, Japan's new prime minister needs a flying start, the British newspaper "Guardian" states in the title of an analytical article.
It is difficult to downplay the symbolism of today's achievement by Sanae Takaichi, who became the first female prime minister of Japan - a country that consistently ranks at the bottom of global rankings for gender equality, not least in politics and business, the publication points out. However, she will have little time to bask in her historic election, the Guardian notes.
Takaichi is expected to fulfill her promise to appoint a cabinet with a "Scandinavian" proportion of women, but the challenges of the job are great, as Japan's fifth prime minister in five years will try to improve the position of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) with the support of an inexperienced junior coalition partner, the British newspaper notes.
Takaichi's domestic problems include a cost of living crisis and growing discontent with immigration, which many see as the only viable solution to Japan's looming demographic crisis, the Guardian writes.
Her diplomatic skills will be put to the test next week when Donald Trump arrives in Tokyo for a two-day visit; and she will barely be able to catch her breath before making her international debut at the ATIS meeting in South Korea, the publication adds.
When she won the LDP presidency earlier this month, Takaichi inherited a deeply divided party struggling to shake off the stain of a long-standing funding scandal and, after seven decades of almost continuous rule, a seriously weakened position in both houses of parliament, the Guardian notes.
Despite internal calls for the LDP to change or suffer even heavier electoral losses, Takaichi's successful campaign to replace the retiring Shigeru Ishiba as party chairman looked more like a power struggle between the party's liberal and conservative wings than the start of a new era in Japanese politics, the publication argues.
After suddenly losing the support of the "Komeito" – the LDP's centrist coalition partner for more than a quarter of a century – Takaichi was forced to seek other coalition partners to find enough votes to secure her the premiership.
The agreement with the Japan Restoration Party, officially announced on the eve of today's key parliamentary vote, was described as a marriage of convenience between conservatives committed to higher defense spending, reform of Japan's "pacifist" post-war constitution and the introduction of stricter immigration restrictions, the "Guardian" emphasizes.
However, the two parties must also avoid potential sources of conflict over economic policy, which could quickly test the sustainability of their coalition, the newspaper points out.
Takaichi will immediately appoint his cabinet, which according to media reports will also include Satsuki Katayama as Japan's first female finance minister. Takaichi is also expected to appoint two of his rivals in the LDP leadership race, Toshimitsu Motegi and Shinjiro Koizumi, as foreign and defense ministers, respectively.
Japan's stock indexes rose after Sanae Takaichi became prime minister, another British publication, the "Financial Times", wrote in a headline.
The leading Nikkei 225 Average rose 1.5% today to above 49,900 points, which is one step away from the historic level of 50,000 points.
Takaichi won 237 votes of deputies in the 465-seat lower house today, after her Liberal Democratic Party achieved a breakthrough in coalition talks 24 hours earlier. Her position as prime minister is set to be confirmed after a second round of voting in the upper house later today, the "Financial Times" reports.
Her new ruling coalition is expected to discuss increased defense spending, potential tax breaks and consider restarting Japan's shuttered nuclear power plants, this British newspaper reports.
Sources close to the LDP said that Takaichi, a former television presenter and a great admirer of the late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, intends to appoint Satsuki Katayama, a former economic recovery minister, as the country's first female finance minister, the Financial Times reported.
Japan's parliament has elected the country's first female prime minister, Politico headlined. Sanae Takaichi replaces Shigeru Ishiba, ending a three-month political vacuum and controversy following the Liberal Democratic Party's disastrous election loss in July, the paper said.
Ishiba, who had been prime minister for just one year, resigned along with his cabinet earlier on Monday, paving the way for his successor.
The LDP's unexpected alliance with the Osaka-based right-wing Japan Restoration Party (JRP) guarantees Takaichi the premiership as the opposition is not united. Takaichi's fragile coalition still lacks a majority in both houses of parliament and will have to turn to other opposition groups to pass legislation – a risk that could make her government unstable and short-lived, Politico reports.
"Political stability is essential right now," Takaichi said yesterday during a signing ceremony with the leader of the ruling party and Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura. "Without stability, we cannot push through measures for a strong economy or diplomacy," she added.
The two parties signed a coalition agreement on policies that emphasize Takaichi's radical and nationalist views, Politico reports.
Their last-minute agreement came after the Liberal Democrats lost their longtime partner, the Buddhist-backed Komeito party, which has a more moderate and centrist stance. The split threatened the LDP's grip on power, which has ruled Japan almost uninterruptedly for decades.
Later today, Takaichi will unveil a cabinet with a number of her own supporters, as well as allies of the LDP's most powerful man, Taro Aso, and others who supported her in the party leadership vote.
The LDP will not take ministerial posts in Takaichi's cabinet until it is certain about its partnership with the LDP, Yoshimura said, quoted by "Politico".
Despite being the first woman to hold the post of prime minister of Japan, Takaichi has been in no hurry to promote gender equality or diversity.
She is among Japanese politicians who have blocked measures for women's equality. Takaichi supports male-only succession to the imperial family and opposes same-sex marriage and allowing different surnames for married couples.
A protégé of assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is expected to follow his policies, including strengthening the military and economy, as well as revising Japan's "pacifist" constitution. However, it is unclear how much of this Takaichi, who does not have strong support in parliament, will be able to achieve, Politico notes.
When Komeito left the ruling coalition, the party cited the LDP's weak response to the scandals with illegal funds that led to a series of electoral defeats. The centrist party also expressed concern about Takaichi's revisionist views on Japan's wartime past and her regular prayers at the Yasukuni Shrine, despite protests from Beijing and Seoul, which see her visits as a lack of remorse for Japanese aggression, as well as her recent xenophobic remarks.
However, Takaichi has toned down her aggressive rhetoric. On Friday, she sent a religious ornament instead of going to the Yasukuni Shrine, Politico reported.