Overview

• Takaichi defeated Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in a runoff, securing 149 lawmaker votes and 36 prefectural chapter votes to his 145 and 11.
• Parliament is expected to vote on Oct. 15 to choose the next prime minister, where Takaichi is favored but must marshal support in both chambers.
• After election losses left the LDP a minority, she needs coalition partners, with Komeito signaling it could reassess the alliance under a hard-right leader.
• An Abe protégé, she backs Abenomics-style fiscal stimulus, stronger defense and restrictive social policies, and she pledged to "work, work, work" to rebuild the party.
• Her agenda faces external pressure as Tokyo navigates a U.S. tariff and $550 billion investment deal and a possible late-October meeting with President Trump, alongside fraught ties with China and South Korea.