Hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi was voted in by parliament as Japan's first female prime minister on Tuesday, after a whirlwind few weeks of political wrangling.
Having won an all-male race to be chosen by her ruling Liberal Democratic Party as its leader on 5 October, Takaichi had to scramble for support after her party's more moderate coalition partner quit their 26-year alliance.
Takaichi received 237 votes, topping the majority of the 465-seat chamber, according to a lower house staff.
She will likely be approved by the less-powerful upper house as well and sworn in as Japan's 104th prime minister this evening to succeed the incumbent Shigeru Ishiba, who last month announced his resignation to take responsibility for election losses.
An acolyte of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was almost certain to become prime minister at a parliamentary vote on Tuesday after her Liberal Democratic Party on Monday agreed to a coalition deal with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin.
Takaichi's victory makes her the first female premier in Japan, where the top echelons of politics and business are still overwhelmingly male dominated.
But her election is unlikely to be feted as a sign of progressive change. Instead, it will likely mark a harder tack to the right in a country increasingly worried about rising prices, lacklustre growth and immigration.
Takaichi has a number of socially conservative stances - such as being against changing the law that requires married couples to have the same surname.
She plans to appoint another former Abe acolyte, Satsuki Katayama, as finance minister, broadcaster FNN and other domestic media outlets said. Katayama is likely to be Japan's first female finance minister.
Katayama chairs the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's research commission on the finance and banking systems and has a strong background in economic and finance fields, having served as minister in charge of Local Economic Revitalisation under Abe.
Attention now turns to her big spending plans that may jolt investor confidence in one of the world's most indebted economies, and her nationalistic positions that could stoke friction with powerful neighbour China, political analysts say.
As Kazakhstan becomes the latest nation to join the Abraham Accords on Friday, here's all you need to know about the agreement and why it matters....
Bolivian President-elect Rodrigo Paz was sworn in as the country's new President on Saturday ending almost 20 years of one-party rule....
A tornado accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain struck the southern Brazilian state of Parana, killing six people, the state government said on S...
Peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan broke down, although a ceasefire continues between the South Asian neighbours, a Taliban spokesperson sai...
UPS and FedEx have grounded their fleets of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo planes after a deadly crash at UPS's Worldport hub in Louisville, Kentucky, ...
As Kazakhstan becomes the latest nation to join the Abraham Accords on Friday, here's all you need to know about the agreement and why it matters.
Bolivian President-elect Rodrigo Paz was sworn in as the country's new President on Saturday ending almost 20 years of one-party rule.
A tornado accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain struck the southern Brazilian state of Parana, killing six people, the state government said on Saturday.
Peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan broke down, although a ceasefire continues between the South Asian neighbours, a Taliban spokesperson said on Saturday.
Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga lead the 2026 Grammy nominations, while K-Pop enters the Song of the Year category for the first time in the award’s history.
Israel launched airstrikes on southern Lebanon after ordering evacuations, accusing Hezbollah of rebuilding its forces despite a year-old ceasefire, as Lebanon and the United Nations warned of renewed border tensions.
U.S. Senate Republicans have blocked a resolution that would have barred President Donald Trump from launching military action against Venezuela without congressional approval, despite growing concern over recent U.S. strikes in the southern Caribbean.
Despite promises of recovery from the new government, Germany’s economy continues to stagnate, with no signs of renewed momentum. According to the latest report from the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), the country still lacks the drive needed for a genuine economic rebound.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk won shareholder approval on Thursday for the largest corporate pay package in history as investors endorsed his vision of morphing the electric vehicle (EV) maker into an artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics juggernaut.
As Kazakhstan becomes the latest nation to join the Abraham Accords on Friday, here's all you need to know about the agreement and why it matters.
Bolivian President-elect Rodrigo Paz was sworn in as the country's new President on Saturday ending almost 20 years of one-party rule.
A tornado accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain struck the southern Brazilian state of Parana, killing six people, the state government said on Saturday.
Peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan broke down, although a ceasefire continues between the South Asian neighbours, a Taliban spokesperson said on Saturday.
UPS and FedEx have grounded their fleets of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo planes after a deadly crash at UPS's Worldport hub in Louisville, Kentucky, which killed 14 people, including three pilots. The incident is under investigation by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment