Former minister beats four others to win ruling party polls amid fears of far-right shift

Japan is set to get its first woman prime minister after former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, 64, prevailed in a five-horse race to succeed Mr Shigeru Ishiba.

- Walter Sim

Ms Takaichi, the conservative protege of the late former premier Shinzo Abe, is almost a shoo-in to take the top position when the Diet convenes for an extraordinary session, expected on Oct 15.

While the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito do not have a parliamentary majority, the next prime minister is odds-on to be from the LDP, given that a fragmented opposition means the parties are unable to unify to elevate one of their own.

Also on Oct 15, Mr Ishiba's Cabinet will resign en masse, putting an end to a short-lived tenure that, despite its woes, would have lasted longer than that of LDP heavyweights such as Mr Taro Aso (2008-2009).

Ms Takaichi's first diplomatic test as prime minister is expected to be a meeting with US President Donald Trump, who is due to visit Tokyo later in October.

She has criticised Tokyo's tariff deal with Washington under which Japan promises to invest US$550 billion (S$709 billion) in the US as "unequal", but told a news conference on Oct 4 that she had "no intention of overturning existing agreements".

"There are many diplomatic issues, but I will work to strengthen the Japan-US alliance as the basis for trilateral cooperation with countries like South Korea, Australia and the Philippines," she said.

"I am also determined for Japan to play a more active role in leading a free and open Indo-Pacific, and contribute to global peace by taking on and overcoming common challenges."

There is a risk, however, that her win could pull Japanese politics sharply to the right.

During the hustings, she made borderline xenophobic claims about foreigner crime and abuse in a nationalist campaign speech.

Analysts fear she might be tempted to capitalise on the prevailing nationalist anti-foreigner mood that has manifested in the rise of far-right opposition parties.