After decades of economic uncertainty and confusion, and the resignation of the previous prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, one figure has emerged as the potential next candidate: Sanae Takaichi. If elected, Takaichi will serve as Japan’s 66th and first female prime minister, breaking an office traditionally dominated by males.
Takaichi, who is a veteran when it comes to political affairs, was elected as an independent to the House of Representatives, the lower house of the national diet, in 1993. In 1996, she joined the Liberal Democratic Party, a party that has dominated Japanese politics since 1955. Afterwards, she also held various positions under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Fumio Kishida’s presidencies. Now serving as the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Takaichi is widely regarded as the most likely candidate to win the prestigious position of prime minister.
If elected as prime minister, Takaichi promised she would commit to heavy government investment in crucial strategic areas, which she refers to as “crisis management investment”. These include artificial intelligence, semiconductors, nuclear fusion, biotechnology, and defense. Additionally, she would deepen the sturdy ties with the United States, potentially allowing the stationing of American medium-range and nuclear missiles on Japanese soil as a form of deterrence against China, which she has been criticized for, citing issues such as intellectual property theft.
Her social policies were described by many experts to be right-wing, conservative, or ultraconservative. She opposes same-sex marriage, the recognition of separate surnames for spouses, and female succession to the Japanese throne. She is a staunch advocate of her previous senior’s policy of Abenomics. Abenomics, introduced by Shinzo Abe, was an attempt to rejuvenate economic growth after the asset price bubble of the 1990s by encouraging the central bank to buy government bonds, increase government spending, and implement structural reforms to partial success.
Like many other right-wing politicians around the world, Takaichi passionately argues against illegal immigration. This stance gained popularity after a significant misunderstanding of the “African Hometown” program. She stated that strict obedience is required for foreigners under Japanese Law and that those who overstay their visa or abscond from justice should be treated as harshly as Japanese citizens. On refugees, she explicitly stated: “For those who come [to Japan] with financial motives and claim that they are refugees, I'll have you go home.”
However, some of her other policies drew sharp debate across Japan’s political spectrum. As a member of the ultranationalist organization Nippon Kaigi, she reportedly supports repealing Article 9 of the Japanese constitution, which forbade Japan from declaring war to settle international disputes. She also claims that Japanese war crimes committed during World War 2 were overexaggerated, and she regularly visits the Yasukuni Shrine, where many Japanese war criminals were buried.
Although a promising candidate, recent media outlets report that her chances are cast into doubt after her party’s junior coalition member withdrew, citing the LDP’s (Liberal Democrats) failure to respond to a political funding scandal that has dogged the ruling group for two years. She described the event as “extremely regrettable”, as markets were stunned by this sudden reversal of fortunes. Nevertheless, her bid for success remains to be seen as Japan braces for another election.