Ex-Internal Affairs Minister Sanae Takaichi Elected LDP Leader, Likely Next Japanese PM

TOKYO, Oct 4 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- Former Internal Affairs Minister Sanae Takaichi won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election on Saturday in a runoff vote, defeating farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Kyodo News Agency reported.

Replacing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba as party chief, Takaichi is expected to become the country's next prime minister. Among the five candidates, Takaichi, Koizumi and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi were widely seen as the leading contenders.

In last year's leadership election, contested by a record nine candidates, Ishiba trailed Takaichi in the first round but prevailed in the runoff.

The new LDP head, whose term lasts until 2027, is likely to become Japan's next prime minister later this month, as the minority coalition with its junior partner, the Komeito party, remains the largest force in parliament and the opposition parties are not unified.

While Takaichi, a 64-year-old who is set to become Japan's first female prime minister, was the leading choice among the public, Koizumi, 44, son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, enjoyed the strongest support among his fellow lawmakers, according to recent media polls.

Takaichi, known as a staunch conservative, and Koizumi, who would have become Japan's youngest postwar leader, were seen as early frontrunners, but Hayashi, 64, a dovish moderate with extensive ministerial experience, quickly closed the gap ahead of the poll.

The other contenders were former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi and former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. Like Hayashi, both graduated from the prestigious University of Tokyo and earned master's degrees from Harvard University.

In early September, Ishiba announced his intention to step down to take responsibility for the ruling bloc's loss of majority in the House of Councillors election in July, bringing forward the party's next leadership contest that was originally scheduled for 2027.

The coalition also lost its majority in the House of Representatives election in October 2024 under the leadership of Ishiba, who had only become prime minister earlier in the month.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO