Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday(October 21) secured victory in both chambers of parliament, becoming the country’s first female prime minister.

Takaichi, 63, was elected as Japan’s 104th prime minister following a parliamentary vote during the 219th extraordinary session of the Diet.

The first vote in the House of Representatives began at 1:08 p.m. local time (0408 GMT) and was broadcast live on the state-run NHK. Takaichi garnered 237 votes in the 465-member lower house, surpassing the required 233-seat majority. Her victory was supported by the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), which recently formed a coalition with the LDP, along with several independent lawmakers.

In the upper house, the election proceeded to a runoff where Takaichi secured 125 votes, defeating her main rival Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ).

Following her confirmation, Takaichi is set to announce her Cabinet lineup later today. Shinjiro Koizumi is expected to be appointed as defense minister, Toshimitsu Motegi is likely to take the foreign affairs portfolio, while Yoshimasa Hayashi is anticipated to become the internal affairs minister.

Earlier in the day, outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his Cabinet resigned to make way for the new administration. Ishiba stepped down last month amid mounting criticism within the LDP following consecutive electoral defeats that saw the ruling coalition lose its majority in both houses.

Takaichi’s election marks a historic milestone in Japanese politics, as she becomes the first woman to hold the country’s top political post.

Her predecessor Ishiba was the fourth prime minister to resign in the past five years, following Shinzo Abe, Yoshihide Suga, and Fumio Kishida. The LDP has ruled Japan almost continuously since its founding in 1955, except for brief interruptions totaling six years.
 

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