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Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is immediately tasked with stabilising a party she has previously referred to as a 'distressed asset,' following a year of electoral losses and voter punishment over a pervasive funding scandal involving dozens of MPs siphoning unreported profits into slush funds.
The outgoing Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, resigned after only a year in office, creating the vacuum that Takaichi, a former TV host and heavy metal drummer, now fills.
Her immediate priority will be to unite the LDP and win back public support, especially among younger voters who have shown dissatisfaction with the party’s policies.
A foreign policy hawk, Takaichi also takes the reins during a period of significant global instability, facing a volatile security environment in East Asia.
This includes managing the challenges posed by the rise of a loose coalition comprising China, Russia, and North Korea, as well as the redrawing of economic ties with the United States under a potentially resurgent Donald Trump, who is reportedly scheduled to visit Japan later in the month.
Domestically, she must address public concern over mass tourism and the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Her campaign rhetoric has included controversial statements, such as a call to ‘reconsider policies that allow in people with completely different cultures and backgrounds,’ indicating a tough line on immigration.
Takaichi has called on all generations within the party to 'work as one to rebuild the LDP,' stressing, 'Everyone will have to work like a horse' to tackle the immediate and substantial challenges ahead.