Sanae Takaichi elected Japan's first female prime minister by the Diet

On 21 October 2025, Japan's parliament, the Diet, elected Sanae Takaichi as prime minister. She became the first woman to hold the post. A conservative veteran of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), she had won the party leadership earlier that month, succeeding Shigeru Ishiba.

Her path to office was unusual. Shortly after her leadership win, the LDP lost its long-time coalition partner Komeito, a Buddhist-backed party, which ended a roughly 26-year alliance. The LDP, without a majority in either chamber, then reached a policy agreement with the Japan Innovation Party (Ishin), which agreed to cooperate in government. That deal secured enough votes for her to win the prime ministerial vote.

The result mattered because her minority-style government depended on opposition cooperation to pass legislation, including the budget and cost-of-living measures. Tax policy, such as proposals to cut consumption tax on food, became a central test of that fragile arrangement and of her ability to deliver on promises to households facing rising prices.