Takaichi elected LDP leader, set to become Japan's first female PM

Sanae Takaichi was elected leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday in Tokyo, positioning the 64 year old to become the country's first female prime minister when parliament meets in mid October. Party officials said she won a runoff against Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi by 185 votes to 156 among LDP lawmakers.

Takaichi succeeds Shigeru Ishiba after a year in which the LDP and its coalition partner lost their majorities in both chambers of the Diet. With the opposition fragmented, party leaders and analysts say she is widely expected to be confirmed by the lower house, but she will need continued cooperation from coalition partners and some opposition lawmakers to secure a working majority and pass major legislation.

A self made lawmaker first elected in 1993, Takaichi has held several cabinet posts, including economic security minister. She is associated with a conservative, nationalist policy outlook that supports reviving elements of the Abenomics stimulus mix of fiscal spending and easy monetary policy, strengthening defence capabilities, and taking a tougher line on China and illegal immigration. She has regularly visited the Yasukuni Shrine, a...