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Japan could get first female prime minister

Oct 20, 2025, 6:53am EDT
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Sanae Takaichi.
Sanae Takaichi. Yuichi Yamazaki/Pool via Reuters.

A coalition deal is expected in the Japanese Parliament which would give the country its first female prime minister.

Sanae Takaichi was appointed leader of the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party this month, but failed to win the backing of the party’s usual coalition partner to become PM. The right-wing opposition Ishin party now looks set to support her and she could be appointed tomorrow. Takaichi wants to boost spending and cut taxes, and has criticized rising interest rates; her likely appointment weakened the yen and buoyed Japanese stocks. She is also seeking to revise the country’s pacifist constitution to allow a greater role for its military, and has opposed social policies that include allowing women to keep surnames after marriage.

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