Takaichi's challenges

Normally, the election of a new leader in Japan does not create much international excitement. But being the first female to be the prime minister, Sanae Takachi's credentials have come under scrutiny. The news of her formally becoming the Prime Minister on 15 October jolted the markets and energised both sides of the political spectrum. To paint Takaichi as a conservative and ultranationalist, a radical or a female Donald Trump would smack of ignorance and misunderstanding of Japanese politics

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Japan made history when its governing party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) elected on 4 October 2025 a hard-line ultraconservative and China hawk, Sanae Takaichi as the first woman to head the embattled governing party, paving the way for her to become prime minister of the coalition government.

Takaichi's victory in the leadership race has generated international excitement and led to a flurry of misand disinformation about her views and policies. She is being portrayed as a radical right-winger and a strong advocate of strong military and constitutional revision, which have created plenty of anxiety in China and South Korea. Japan's pacifist constitution, in particular Article 9 that prevents Japan from maintaining a strong military, raised concerns about security as the security environment in Japan's neighbourhood has deteriorated considerably, exposing the country's vulnerability to external threats. Views on having a strong military in Japan are no longer radical and there is greater acceptability of such a view.

The concern that Takaichi shall take Japan on a militaristic path is completely misplaced. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the first to raise the issue of constitutional reform but found the path arduous. The process of amending Article 9 of the constitution is too complicated. The next best thing was to dilute the spirit of Article 9 by adopting measures for collective self-defence, thereby fulfilling the objective halfway. So, to fear that Takeichi shall go further to change Japan's security posture dramatically is like building castles in the air. The fear stems from the fact that she was a backer of Abe and that she shall pursue Abe’s path more vigorously.