Foreign policy

   The conservative lawmaker succeeds Shigeru Ishiba after the Liberal
   Democratic Party lost its ruling majority.

   Voting And Counting Takes Place For LDP Leadership

   (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon - Pool/Getty Images)

   Japan’s parliament [1]elected Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first
   female prime minister Tuesday evening. Takaichi succeeds Shigeru
   Ishiba, who resigned with his cabinet earlier in the day after the
   Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost its coalition majority in the
   parliament following electoral losses earlier this month.

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   Takaichi, also a member of the LDP, was elected party president on
   October 4. She [2]supports stricter immigration policies, has been
   critical of China, opposes same-sex marriage, and favors aggressive
   public spending to stimulate the economy.

   The LDP’s former coalition partner, Komeito, withdrew from the alliance
   earlier this month over disagreements with Takaichi’s policy agenda. A
   few days ago, the LDP reached a deal with the Japan Innovation Party, a
   right-leaning reformist group, to secure a workable majority in
   parliament.

   For her first diplomatic engagement, she is to meet President Donald
   Trump later this month in Tokyo during his tour of Asia. Trump [3]said
   Monday he plans to attend a regional summit in Malaysia, Japan, and
   South Korea, where he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.

References

   1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/10/20/japan-prime-minister-sanae-takaichi/
   2. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/04/sanae-takaichi-the-new-leader-of-japans-liberal-democratic-party-who-cites-thatcher-as-an-influence
   3. https://apnews.com/article/trump-xi-jinping-china-asia-8f21df3df6fa3f51ca4ab4dfcf7669ba