Japan set to get first woman PM

Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected and staunchly conservative head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is expected to become Japan’s first woman prime minister, but that doesn’t mean she’s a feminist choice, analysts say.

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Instead the 64-year-old, who won the party’s leadership election Saturday, has positioned herself as a hardline leader focused on national defence and economic security.

She saw off competition from generational-change candidate Shinjiro Koizumi, the 44-year-old surfing son of a former premier, and the experienced-if-uncharismatic Yoshimasa Hayashi.

Once confirmed by parliament ~ seen as highly likely - Takaichi will become the country’s first woman head of government and Japan’s fifth leader in as many years.

Voters have been deserting the long-dominant LDP in droves because of inflation and a recent slush fund scandal, while the anti-immigration Sanseito party has been gaining ground.