Sanae Takaichi has become Japan’s first female prime minister after winning 237 votes in the 465-seat lower house. Her win makes her the country’s 104th leader and the first woman ever to hold the post.
She joined the office on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, after her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) allied with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party (Ishin). The upper house approved her appointment soon after, completing the transition of power.
The deal ended three months of political uncertainty after former prime minister Shigeru Ishiba stepped down following the LDP’s election loss in July.
Soon after her win, Japan’s stock market broke new records. The Nikkei 225 index came close to the 50,000 mark. The Topix index also hit its highest level in its 34-year history. The yen weakened to about ¥151 per US dollar, which helped major exporters such as Toyota and Sony.
Japan Prime Minister Takaichi is expected to continue policies that support high government spending and easy borrowing. These are similar to the “Abenomics” ideas started by the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who led the same LDP faction that Takaichi now represents.
Takaichi is known for her conservative views and her interest in heavy metal music. She admires former British leader Margaret Thatcher.
On October 20, at the signing of the coalition deal with Ishin leader and Osaka governor Hirofumi Yoshimura, she said Japan needs political stability to grow its economy and handle foreign issues.
With Sanae Takaichi now leading a male-dominated political country, Japan enters a new political phase. It combines her push for stronger government control with market-driven economic strategies.
