Sanae Takaichi became prime minister this week, the first woman to hold that post in Japanese history.
Her rise to the country's top job followed her victory in the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race and then considerable maneuvering among other parties to secure a coalition with the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) that, with the support of independent politicians, will claim a majority in the two houses of parliament. While those accomplishments deserve applause, there is no time to rest on her laurels. The real work begins now.
While the president of the LDP has historically had little difficulty then moving to the prime minister’s office, Takaichi faced numerous headwinds to claim that position. Komeito, the longtime junior coalition partner, ended that relationship, complaining that she was not doing enough to fight the corrupting influence of money in politics; equally powerful was the fear among Komeito’s leaders that her conservative policies would antagonize their voters.
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