Overview

• Takaichi defeated Shinjiro Koizumi in a second round by 185–156 out of 342 votes to become Liberal Democratic Party president.
• A confirmation vote in the Diet is anticipated around October 13–14, requiring opposition cooperation given the coalition’s minority status.
• Her platform signals a harder national-security line, including stronger defense spending and openness to constitutional revision.
• She backs Abenomics-style stimulus and has indicated the U.S. tariff-and-investment arrangement could be maintained or revisited depending on terms.
• Regional unease is expected in China and South Korea, while Taiwan’s leader Lai Ching‑te publicly congratulated her as a firm friend of Taiwan.