SHIFTING WINDS

Japan stands on the brink of both change and continuity with the rise of Sanae Takaichi as the new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

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Poised to become the country’s first female prime minister, Takaichi inherits a party fatigued by scandal, electoral losses, and eroding public confidence. Her elevation marks a significant moment in Japan's political history, yet her leadership also carries the weight of ideological rigidity and factional calculation. A protégé of the late Shinzo Abe and a stalwart of the LDP’s conservative establishment, ‘Takaichi’s political instincts are deeply rooted in nationalism, economic protectionism, and security assertiveness. Her early signals suggest that she intends to restore the party's traditional confidence by reinforcing the US. alliance and maintaining Japan’s hard line on national defence. But her polarising positions — including revisionist interpretations of Japan's wartime conduct and repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine — threaten to isolate Tokyo from its regional neigh-bours. The challenge before her is not merely to survive politically but, to balance principle with pragmatism in an era when Japan’s external, environment and domestic electorate demand moderation, transparency, and reform.