October 4, 2025. The auditorium of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Headquarters in Tokyo.

The results of the runoff were announced.

Sanae Takaichi, 185 votes. Shinjiro Koizumi, 156 votes.

The margin was 29 votes.

The atmosphere inside the auditorium was completely different from what it had been in the same place a year ago. Some supporters burst into tears. The applause would not stop. Takaichi, standing on the platform, raised her hand. This time, there was no reason to hide the tears in her eyes.

Seventy years since the founding of the LDP. It was the moment the first female president was born.

Three challenges. It was finally achieved on the third attempt.

One year had passed before reaching this point.

In the 2024 presidential election, Shigeru Ishiba became the president and took office as Prime Minister. However, the Ishiba Cabinet did not have a smooth start. In the October 2024 general election held just a month after its launch, the ruling coalition of the LDP and Komeito lost its majority. It became a minority government. The opposition-led Diet pressured the budget bill, and coordination was necessary for every major piece of legislation. Prime Minister Ishiba’s approval rating was low from the start.

Throughout 2025, voices discussing "After Ishiba" echoed within the LDP. As the summer House of Councillors election approached, those voices grew louder. And in September 2025, Prime Minister Ishiba resolved to step down.

Once again, the seat of the president was vacant.

A third opportunity had come for Sanae Takaichi.

The structure of the 2025 LDP presidential election was different from that of 2024.

This time, five candidates ran: Sanae Takaichi, Shinjiro Koizumi (小泉進次郎), Yoshimasa Hayashi (林芳正), Toshimitsu Motegi (茂木敏充), and Itsunori Onodera (小野寺五典).

Compared to 2024, when nine candidates were entangled, it was a much more organized field. Consequently, the battle was clearer.

A two-way race between Takaichi and Koizumi. It was effectively a duel between the two.

Shinjiro Koizumi had failed to advance to the runoff in the 2024 presidential election, finishing third in the first round. However, his popularity among the general public remained overwhelming. His youth at 44, his symbolism as the son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, and his sensible remarks on modern issues such as the environment attracted the hearts of independent voters.

Takaichi fought from a different angle. She targeted the Diet members rather than public opinion. The cause of her defeat in 2024 had been the Diet member votes. She had to address that weakness.

There was something she had done for a year. While maintaining a critical distance from the Ishiba Cabinet from the outside, she put great effort into building trust with Diet members. After the factions were dissolved, she personally built a new network of lawmakers. While maintaining her image as a staunch conservative, she endeavored to demonstrate her capacity as a realistic politician capable of forming a cabinet and managing the Diet. Paradoxically, the failure of the Ishiba Cabinet increased Takaichi's presence. A sentiment spread within the party: "Ishiba tried, but it didn't work. This time, it must be Takaichi."

On October 4, 2025, the results of the first round of voting were announced.

Koizumi, who had been leading in public opinion polls, led the first round of voting, driven by party member votes. Takaichi took the lead in the Diet member votes. No candidate obtained a majority. Takaichi and Koizumi advanced to the runoff.

In the runoff, the Diet members moved.

The result has already been stated: Takaichi 185 votes, Koizumi 156 votes. A difference of 29 votes.

Many of the Diet members who had leaned toward Ishiba in 2024 out of a consensus that "Takaichi must be stopped" chose Takaichi this time. The year under the Ishiba Cabinet had changed their judgment. The limitations of managing a minority government, low approval ratings, and difficulties in pushing policies led to a realistic assessment among lawmakers: "If even Ishiba tried and it's not working, Takaichi is the better option."

Furthermore, Shinjiro Koizumi's weakness was revealed. While highly popular with the public, his perceived lack of policy depth and parliamentary experience made it difficult to fully secure the trust of the lawmakers. LDP members placed more weight on execution capability than on trendy popularity when casting their votes.

The first female president in the 70 years since the founding of the LDP. Sanae Takaichi became the 29th President of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Time moved quickly immediately after the presidential election.

On October 15, 2025, an extraordinary session of the Diet was convened. In the election to designate the Prime Minister, the House of Representatives designated Sanae Takaichi as the Prime Minister. Although a different result emerged in the House of Councillors, the result was finalized in accordance with the constitutional provision that the decision of the House of Representatives takes precedence in the case of disagreement between the two houses.

October 21, 2025.

Sanae Takaichi, the 104th Prime Minister.

She was the first female Prime Minister in constitutional history.

It was the first time a woman had ascended to the position of Japan's Prime Minister in the 140 years since the cabinet system began in 1885. It was late compared to major Western countries. Margaret Thatcher led Britain in 1979, and Angela Merkel led Germany in 2005. Female heads of government were also rare among major East Asian countries. That historic transition finally took place in Tokyo.

By that fact alone, a page of history was turned.

That evening, a press conference was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence.

Prime Minister Takaichi stood on the platform. A navy blue suit. Bobbed hair swept back. As usual, her voice was calm. Questions from reporters poured in: Constitutional amendment, economic policy, and her symbolism as a female Prime Minister.

A reporter asked how she felt about standing in this position after three challenges.

Takaichi paused for a moment. Then she replied, "Today exists because there were two defeats. I think it is important not to give up." It was a short sentence, but more than 20 years of history were compressed within it.

Another reporter asked what she wanted to show Japanese society as a female Prime Minister.

"I think the biggest message is that a capable person challenges themselves regardless of gender, and that challenge bears fruit. I will be the proof of that myself."

The composition of the first cabinet was announced.

The selection of ministers for the Takaichi Cabinet attracted attention in many ways.

She appointed Toshimitsu Motegi, Shinjiro Koizumi, and Yoshimasa Hayashi—who had competed with her in the presidential election—to important posts. Embracing rivals was a long-standing tradition of the LDP. There were 10 first-time ministers. In the field of economic security, Takaichi herself had a strong interest and appointed experts.

There were only two female ministers. Criticism arose that Japan's first female Prime Minister did not appoint enough women. Takaichi stated her conviction that "it should not be a position for the sake of a position, but a capable person should sit in the appropriate position." Her stance of prioritizing meritocracy over gender quotas also drew criticism from the feminist camp. This was a route that Takaichi chose intentionally. She wanted to show that she became Prime Minister not because she was a woman, but because of her ability.

She chose the Japan Innovation Party (日本維新の会) as the coalition partner. She broke the long-standing coalition with Komeito and built a new framework. The coalition with the Innovation Party also aligned with the strategic goal of securing two-thirds of the House of Representatives to propose a constitutional amendment. The fact that the Innovation Party was relatively favorable toward constitutional reform was decisive.

On October 24, Prime Minister Takaichi delivered her policy speech in the Diet.

In the speech, she strongly emphasized three pillars.

"Strong Economy." "Strong Defense." "Constitutional Amendment."

Regarding constitutional amendment in particular, she expressed a specific will to "propose it during the term." This included the explicit mention of the Self-Defense Forces and the establishment of an emergency clause. It was a declaration that she would achieve the LDP's long-cherished wish with her own hands.

In the economic field, she put forward "Responsible Active Finance" as a keyword. It was a logic of strategically investing in fields that lead to growth, rather than indiscriminate fiscal expansion. She reaffirmed her cautious stance on sudden interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan.

In the field of diplomacy, while emphasizing the robustness of the Japan-US alliance, she used the expression "strategic autonomy." It meant pursuing an equal partnership rather than dependence.

In November 2025, the Takaichi Cabinet faced its first diplomatic crisis.

Prime Minister Takaichi spoke at the House of Representatives Budget Committee: "If a Taiwan contingency (台湾有事) occurs and China exercises force by mobilizing warships, I believe this would be a crisis for Japan's survival, no matter how you look at it."

China reacted immediately. They protested strongly, calling it "interference in internal affairs." A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized Japan with high-intensity rhetoric. The Chinese government even went so far as to recommend its citizens refrain from traveling to Japan.

However, this crisis actually increased the approval rating of the Takaichi Cabinet. A positive response came from the Japanese public, who said, "The Prime Minister is speaking confidently." The United States expressed support for Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks. Bloomberg News analyzed that "China's overreaction actually helped Takaichi."

The diplomatic crisis was transformed into an opportunity for internal unity. The essence of Takaichi as a politician was revealed more clearly in this crisis: not backing down under pressure and not taking back what was said. That consistency was read as a strength by her supporters.

On January 19, 2026, Prime Minister Takaichi announced the dissolution of the House.

It was only three months after she took office. She named it the "Dissolution for Investment in the Future." She said directly, "Please let the people decide whether Sanae Takaichi (高市早苗) is right as Prime Minister or not." The election was announced on January 27, with voting and counting on February 8.

The results came out.

LDP, 316 seats. It was a historic landslide victory. Including the Japan Innovation Party, they held 352 seats. The ruling parties occupied more than 75% of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives.

The centrist opposition collapsed. The opposition bloc, centered on the Constitutional Democratic Party, failed both to unify and to present an alternative. Opposition leaders announced their resignations one after another.

Why such an overwhelming victory?

Three factors overlapped.

First, the symbolism of being the "first female Prime Minister" attracted independent and female voters. No previous LDP Prime Minister had such a fresh image. This novelty drove people to the polling stations.

Second was the failure of the opposition parties. They suffered from internal conflict and were unable to present a viable alternative to the LDP. Voters felt their choices were limited.

Third, the economic situation helped. The early effects of "Sanaenomics" began to appear just before the election. Wages continued to rise, and the stock market remained stable. The warmth of active finance began to reach regional economies.

With more than two-thirds of the seats, the administration could now re-pass bills in the House of Representatives even if the House of Councillors rejected them. The number of seats required to propose a constitutional amendment was also secured.

After the landslide victory in the general election, Prime Minister Takaichi launched her second cabinet. The foundation of the administration was solidified.

One might ask what was gained after three challenges.

Prime Minister Takaichi herself said, "I mastered economic security from the first defeat, and I learned how to gain the trust of Diet members from the second defeat. Winning on the third attempt is the result of that learning."

But there is a deeper meaning.

Takaichi's first challenge was in 2021. At that time, when she stood before the party members and said, "I will become Japan's first female Prime Minister," many people laughed. It seemed like an impossible dream. In the LDP, a conservative party, a woman becoming Prime Minister felt like a story from a distant world.

That dream became a reality four years later.

In that process, there are things she lost: the frustration of two defeats, intra-party conflicts with rivals, and the experience of her own beliefs becoming political barriers.

But she did not give up. She waited for the third opportunity, and she did not miss it.

Her name was engraved in Japanese political history: Sanae Takaichi, the 104th Prime Minister. It was an administration that began with the modifier "the first."

Now, the time has come to achieve something that is not just "the first."

References - LDP Official Site — Election of New President Sanae Takaichi: https://www.jimin.jp/news/information/211511.html - Nikkei — Ms. Takaichi becomes new LDP President, defeating Mr. Koizumi in runoff: https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUA231WX0T20C25A9000000/ - Jiji.com — Ms. Takaichi becomes new LDP President: https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2025100400343&g=pol - Prime Minister’s Official Residence — Inaugural Press Conference of Prime Minister Takaichi: https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/104/statement/2025/1021kaiken.html - Liberal Democratic Party — Takaichi elected as the 104th Prime Minister: https://www.jimin.jp/news/information/211635.html - Jiji.com — LDP landslide victory with over 316 seats: https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2026020900010&g=pol - nippon.com — LDP's historic landslide victory in the 2026 House of Representatives election: https://www.nippon.com/ja/japan-data/h02703/