Sanae Takaichi won the position of "first female prime minister and prime minister of the Liberal Democratic Party"
On October 4, 2025, in the LDP presidential election to choose a successor to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, former Minister of Economic Security Sanae Takaichi was elected as the 29th LDP president. It was a victory after defeating Shinjiro Koizumi, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, who was considered the favorite in the runoff. The voting venue was broadcast live on several TV stations, and the author also watched the moment of the decision with bated breath and watched with all his eyes closed on a certain channel. In that program, just before the vote, when asked by the moderator about the prediction of the results, political journalist Shiro Tazaki and former LDP secretary-general Nobuaki Ishihara both predicted Koizumi's victory. The author, who was a supporter of Takaichi, looked anxious. This is because most of the old media reported biased towards Mr. Koizumi. Here, I will touch on the circumstances in which the author was expecting Ms. Takaichi's victory. Looking back, when I visited Korea in April 09 to attend the Japan-Korea Business Conference hosted by the Japan-Korea Business Association, I was with Ms. Takaichi, who came to inspect as Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry at the time, at the Korea International Exhibition Center. At that time, I remember having a friendly conversation. In addition, there was South Korean President Lee Myung-bak at the venue, who shook hands with several members of the Japan delegation in turn. I also had a rare experience when it was my turn to broadcast the interview (the video is now posted on my website). He was also present at the commemorative photo shoot at the Japanese and South Korean delegations, including Ms. Takaichi and President Lee. Also, in September 20, when Ms. Takaichi was the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications. The "Liberal Democracy" issued by the LDP headquarters arrived at me, which contained a report on Ms. Takaichi's activities for one year as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, including 11 replies at committees of both houses of the House of Representatives. I have seen Ms. Takaichi at Keidanren and other meetings, but She
She has always been impressed by her confident demeanor. Back to the main topic, Ms. Takaichi was elected to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 1993 at the same time as his first election in the 40th House of Representatives election, and he was considered a conservative within the party because she was close to Mr. Abe's ideological beliefs. Therefore, when she first challenged the 2021 presidential election, she was supported by Mr. Abe and ranked second out of four members of the parliamentary vote. In July 22 of the following year, Mr. Abe, who was traveling around the country with a speech in support of the House of Councillors election, was shot and killed during a speech in Nara Prefecture, which is Takaichi's local constituency. Ms. Takaichi, who was shocked, declared that she would "inherit Mr. Abe's will", and after Mr. Abe's death, Ms. Takaichi challenged the presidential election for the second time in 24. In the runoff, she lost to Mr. Ishiba by a narrow margin and shed tears, but she won the third presidential election. Ms. Takaichi, who insists on sticking to the conservative line, received an overwhelming majority of party member votes, and as a result, she also won parliamentary votes. And the next thing I would like to touch on is the "hidden conflict" between Taro Aso and Yoshihide Suga, two former prime ministers. Mr. Suga has supported and supported Mr. Koizumi as a guardian in his hometown (Kanagawa Prefecture). What should be mentioned there is that former Prime Minister Taro Aso has shown his presence as a "kingmaker". From the end of the decisive vote, he solidified Ms. Takaichi's surroundings, led her to victory in the presidential election while directing, and even became a trend of leaving the coalition with the Koumeito Party, which has continued for 26 years, but this is also in the process of being prepared. The new president, Takaichi, was nominated as prime minister at the extraordinary Diet convened on October 21, making her Japan's first female prime minister, but it will be a tough start.