Breaking the Glass Ceiling as a Hardline Conservative
Cabinet Structure Unveiled, Rivals Appointed
Governing Likely to Face Challenges
Sanae Takaichi, elected as the 104th Prime Minister of Japan. On the night of the 21st, he is scheduled to officially launch the new cabinet after receiving the appointment letter from Emperor Naruhito. Photo by Yonhap News
The "Takaichi Cabinet," which will succeed the Ishiba Cabinet as Japan's next government, will be officially launched on the night of the 21st. As a non-hereditary female politician, Sanae Takaichi broke through the "glass ceiling" and firmly established herself as a hardline conservative, leading to sweeping victories in both houses of parliament. Anticipating that state administration will not be easy, she has demonstrated a spirit of unity by appointing her rivals from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election as cabinet members.
Elected as the 104th Prime Minister... Cabinet to Be Officially Launched Tonight
Sanae Takaichi, president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was elected as the 104th Prime Minister on the 21st, according to reports from the Asahi Shimbun and Kyodo News. On this day, she will officially launch the new cabinet after receiving her letter of appointment from Emperor Naruhito.
In the first round of the prime ministerial selection vote held during the extraordinary session of the House of Representatives (the lower house) in the afternoon, Prime Minister Takaichi received 237 votes, surpassing the majority threshold of 233 out of 465 votes. She also won in the House of Councillors (the upper house), achieving a landslide victory in both chambers.
Prime Minister Takaichi is a ten-term member of the House of Representatives and has previously served as Minister in charge of Economic Security, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, and Chairperson of the LDP Policy Research Council. She is Japan's first female prime minister and a rare example of a non-hereditary female politician in Japanese politics. She has established her position by breaking the "glass ceiling" and maintaining a strong conservative stance.
Rivals Appointed as Minister of Defense and Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications
The structure of the Takaichi Cabinet has also been revealed. Prime Minister Takaichi plans to appoint Minoru Kihara, former Minister of Defense, as Chief Cabinet Secretary (government spokesperson), and Toshimitsu Motegi, former LDP Secretary-General, as Minister for Foreign Affairs. Her rivals in the LDP presidential race, Shinjiro Koizumi and Yoshimasa Hayashi, are expected to be appointed as Minister of Defense and Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, respectively. Satsuki Katayama, former Minister for Regional Revitalization, has been nominated as Minister of Finance.
However, it is anticipated that state administration will not proceed smoothly under the coalition government system. The Japan Innovation Party has decided to participate in the coalition in the so-called "extracabinet cooperation" format, where its members do not join the cabinet. As a result, the cooperative relationship is expected to be weaker compared to the previous LDP-Komeito coalition, in which Komeito members held key posts such as Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
Furthermore, in the process of bringing the Japan Innovation Party into the coalition, Prime Minister Takaichi accepted most of the party's demands, such as a 10% reduction in the number of parliamentary seats. However, some LDP members are expressing opposition to certain issues. The Nikkei newspaper pointed out that there are four sources of conflict between the LDP and the Japan Innovation Party: the reduction of parliamentary seats, the abolition of corporate and organizational political donations, coordination of election candidates, and weak links between the parties.
In addition, even when combining the seats of the LDP and the Japan Innovation Party, they do not form a majority, so cooperation with other parties will be necessary to pass bills and budgets. In the House of Representatives, the LDP holds 196 seats and the Japan Innovation Party 35 seats, falling two short of the 233 needed for a majority. In the House of Councillors, the LDP holds 101 seats and the Japan Innovation Party 19 seats, five short of the 125 needed for a majority.
New Direction in Diplomacy... Expansionary Fiscal Policy Expected to Gain Momentum
A new direction in foreign policy is also anticipated. With the launch of the Takaichi Cabinet, attention is focused on whether there will be repercussions for Japan-South Korea relations, which had maintained a cooperative stance under the Ishiba Cabinet, known for its moderate historical views.
Prime Minister Takaichi has made a series of hardline "hawkish" remarks on historical and territorial issues and has regularly visited the Yasukuni Shrine, where Class-A war criminals from the Pacific War are enshrined. However, during the autumn festival held from October 17 to 19, she refrained from visiting the shrine, taking into consideration relations with neighboring countries such as South Korea and China.
Sanae Takaichi, who was elected as the new Prime Minister of Japan, is paying a visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo during her tenure as the Minister in charge of Economic Security in 2022. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
In terms of fiscal policy, an expansionary approach is expected. In particular, Prime Minister Takaichi is likely to accelerate the implementation of measures to address high inflation. During the LDP presidential race, she pledged to pursue expansionary fiscal policies.
Notably, Satsuki Katayama, who has been appointed as the next Minister of Finance, is also known to support expansionary fiscal spending, similar to Prime Minister Takaichi. This stands in contrast to the Ministry of Finance's usual preference for fiscal austerity.
Bloomberg News reported that the attitude of the new finance minister is likely to be a key signal watched by the market. There are concerns in the market that Prime Minister Takaichi may increase fiscal spending and slow the pace of interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan.
Like Prime Minister Takaichi, Satsuki Katayama has also maintained a conservative stance on gender issues. She defines herself as a "common-sense conservative" and has opposed allowing married couples to use separate surnames after marriage, as well as the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Satsuki Katayama is one of the first female bureaucrats to have worked for over 20 years at the Ministry of Finance, serving in key departments such as the Budget Bureau. She entered politics in 2005, winning her first election during the tenure of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and becoming known as one of the "Koizumi Kids." She later served as Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, as well as Minister for Regional Revitalization under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and has held key positions within the LDP.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Takaichi is scheduled to hold a press conference after the official launch of the new government, following the prime ministerial appointment ceremony and the cabinet ministers' certification ceremony, to explain the new administration's basic policies and major policy tasks.
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