The Japanese National Diet (parliament) has elected Sanae Takaichi, a conservative by Japanese standards, as prime minister.
As we reported October 17, Takaichi’s bid for Japan’s premiership had been in doubt after Komeito, the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) longtime coalition partner, unilaterally ended the coalition agreement, citing Takaichi’s conservative positions on immigration and other issues.
However, Takaichi quickly formed a coalition agreement with the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), a moderately conservative party that shares many positions with the LDP — ironically, more so than the centrist Komeito did. On October 21, the National Diet voted to confirm her as prime minister, and she assumed office later the same day.
Takaichi is expected to take a tougher line on immigration than her predecessors, increase defense spending, and abolish Japan’s gas tax. She supports amending Japan’s constitution to explicitly allow the country to possess a military, though it is unclear whether she will succeed.
Can She Stop Japan’s Leftward Drift?
Will Takaichi successfully push Japan in a conservative direction? Although Japan is widely regarded as a socially conservative country by world standards, it has moved steadily to the left. For example, the country’s government has embraced the UN’s Agenda 2030 and “Net Zero” emissions-reduction target, and has allowed foreign migration to increase significantly. And although the LDP — which has been in power nearly continuously since its establishment in 1955 — is often labeled as “conservative,” many of its leaders embrace the globalist, socialist policies Japan is increasingly adopting.
Takaichi’s election as prime minister is part of a wider backlash against this trend. Two recently established parties, Sanseitō and the Conservative Party of Japan (CPJ), which hold more strongly conservative positions, have performed well in recent elections. Sanseitō’s leader, Sohei Kamiya, has expressed openness to working with Takaichi. For Takaichi, success won’t mean just implementing her favored policies, but preventing the continued siphoning of votes from the LDP to Sanseitō and CPJ.
Takaichi has begun her premiership with a high approval rating, but time will tell whether she can overcome Japan’s fractured, Establishment-friendly politics and implement the policies she campaigned on.
