Overview
- Takaichi won the Diet vote 237–149 in the lower house and 125–46 in the upper house, ending a three-month political vacuum.
- Her 19-member cabinet includes only two women, naming Satsuki Katayama as Japan’s first female finance minister and Kimi Onoda as economic security minister.
- After Komeito withdrew, the LDP struck a late partnership with the right-leaning Japan Innovation Party, which offers external support but took no cabinet posts, leaving the government short of majorities.
- She is expected to push constitutional revision, higher defense spending and tighter immigration rules, priorities reflected in her agreement with the Japan Innovation Party to update key security documents.
- Diplomacy moves quickly next: President Trump is scheduled to visit Japan Oct. 27–29 before APEC in South Korea, where Takaichi is expected to meet regional leaders after signaling the importance of U.S.-Japan-South Korea cooperation.