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20-10-2025
TOKYO: Japan’s governing party and the main opposition are set to form a coalition government, setting the stage for Sanae Takaichi to become the country’s first female prime minister, local media report.
Sanae Takaichi, the leader of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Hirofumi Yoshimura, the head of the smaller right-leaning Japan Innovation Party (JIP), known as Ishin, are set to sign an agreement on their alliance on Monday, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday.
Takaichi became leader of the governing LDP earlier this month but her bid to become Japan’s first female premier was derailed by the collapse of her governing coalition.
Since then, the LDP has been working to cobble together a different political alliance, putting her chances for the top job back on track.
“The LDP has entrusted Takaichi with handling the coalition matter, while the JIP will hold an executive board gathering in Osaka on Sunday and a plenary meeting of lawmakers the following day before giving final approval to the agreement with the LDP,” Kyodo reported.
Japan’s leading Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper also said that Takaichi and Yoshimura were “likely to sign a coalition agreement after talks on Monday”.
Reports of a new coalition come after the LDP’s junior partner, the Komeito party, left the governing coalition after 26 years, plunging the country into a political crisis.
The sealing of an alliance between the LDP and JIP could lead to Takaichi’s election as premier as early as Tuesday, but the parties are still two seats short of a majority to pass the vote.
Should the vote go to a second-round run-off, however, Takaichi would only need support from more MPs than the other candidate.
The moves to form a coalition come just days before the expected arrival in Japan of United States President Donald Trump.
Trump is scheduled to travel to Japan before the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea.
Sanae Takaichi has been elected as the head of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and is therefore likely to become the next prime minister and the first woman to lead the country.
Takaichi beat Shinjiro Koizumi, the son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, in a run-off vote on Saturday after none of the five candidates won a majority in the first round of voting.
A vote in parliament to choose the next prime minister is expected to be held on October 15.
A former economic security minister, Takaichi, 64, skews towards the right-wing flank of the LDP.
Her election only involved 295 LDP parliamentarians and about 1 million dues-paying members. It only reflected one percent of the Japanese public.
Takaichi is expected to replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba since the LDP remains the largest party in parliament. However, after major electoral setbacks, the LDP-led coalition no longer holds majorities in either chamber and will require cooperation from opposition lawmakers to govern effectively.
The party will likely look to expand its current coalition with the moderate centrist Komeito with at least one of the key opposition parties, which are more centrist.
‘Must regain trust’
If elected prime minister, Takaichi will face a host of complex issues including an ageing population, geopolitical upheaval, a faltering economy and growing unease about immigration. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
