LIKELY TO BECOME FIRST FEMALE PM Japan's ruling party elects Takaichi as head

JAPAN'S GOVERNING PARTY on Saturday elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, a hard-line ultraconservative and China hawk, as its new leader, making her likely to become the country’s first female prime minister.

- REUTERS

In a country that ranks poorly internationally for gender equality, the 64-year-old Takaichi makes history as the first female leader of Japan’s long-governing conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Takaichi is one of the most conservative members of the male-dominated party. An admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi is a protege of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ultraconservative vision and a regular at the Yasukuni Shrine, seen as a symbol of Japan’s wartime militarism, which could complicate Tokyo’s relations with its Asian neighbours. A vote in parliament to choose a replacement for outgoing Shigeru Ishiba is expected on October 15.