Takaichi set to become Japan's first woman PM

Conservative Sanae Takaichi hailed a “new era” yesterday after winning the leadership of Japan’s ruling party, putting her on course to become the country’s first woman prime minister.

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The 64-year-old, whose hero is Margaret Thatcher, said that a “mountain of work” lay ahead to restore the fortunes of her ailing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

The LDP has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for decades but it has been hemorrhaging support as backing grows for smaller parties, including the anti-immigration Sanseito.