Takaichi, 64, takes over from Shigeru Ishiba, who was forced out by the party after a dismal showing in July elections for the upper house of parliament where the long-ruling LDP failed to gain a majority in either chamber. Her path to victory has not been a smooth one. After winning the party leadership on Oct. 4, her ability to get enough votes in parliament was in doubt after the religious-backed Komeito party pulled out of their 26-year alliance.

Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader, Sanae Takaichi, has become the country’s first female prime minister , partnering with a small populist party to try to pick up the necessary votes for a first-round victory in parliament. But the hard-right Takaichi has an uncertain mandate that will likely mean new elections before she can get very far with her ambitious agenda.

Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader, Sanae Takaichi, has become the country’s first female prime minister, partnering with a small populist party to try to pick up the necessary votes for a first-round victory in parliament. But the hard-right Takaichi has an uncertain mandate that will likely mean new elections before she can get very far with her ambitious agenda.

Takaichi, 64, takes over from Shigeru Ishiba, who was forced out by the party after a dismal showing in July elections for the upper house of parliament where the long-ruling LDP failed to gain a majority in either chamber. Her path to victory has not been a smooth one. After winning the party leadership on Oct.