TOKYO (AP) – Japan’s governing party on Saturday elected former economic security minister Takada Sanaechi as its new leader, and it is likely that she will become the country’s first female prime minister.
In a country that is ranked internationally in stages for gender equality, Kochi will make history as Japan’s long-standing conservative Liberal Democrat first female leader. She is one of the most conservative members of the male-controlled party.
Kochi defeated the Minister of Agriculture, the son of popular former Prime Minister Ginzanjima, after being leaked in an intraparty vote by the LDP on Saturday.
Kochi replaces the prime minister Ishiba Shigeru As the party wants to regain public support and then remain in power. Major election losses.
She is likely to be Japan’s next prime minister. Because the party is much larger in the House of Representatives, which determines the state leadership, the opposition groups are very divided.
Having left it in the minority of both houses of parliamentary elections in the past year, LDP wants to seek cooperation from key opposition groups and choose leaders who can quickly address challenges both within and outside Japan.
Five candidates (two currently in service and three former ministers) were competing for the LDP presidency.
Saturday’s vote only included 295 LDP MPs and approximately 1 million dues paying members. That only reflected 1% of the Japanese population.
Congressional votes are expected in mid-October. Criticized by opposition leaders for creating a long-term political void, the LDP needs to hurry as winners face diplomatic tests soon: the possibility of a summit with the US president Donald TrumpJapan was able to demand that it increase its defense spending.
A meeting is reportedly planned in late October. Trump will travel to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Korea from October 31st.
The LDP also needs help from the opposition, which has been ignored for a long time. The party will seek to expand its current coalition with at least one major opposition, with the more centralist, medium-centric Comet.
All five candidates call them “moderate conservatives” to show their willingness to work with the opposition.
They all fought higher prices, achieved greater pay rises, strengthened the defense and the economy, and took measures for stricter measures against foreign workers. They separated from divisive liberal social issues such as gender equality and sexual diversity.
Experts say they declined to discuss the usual political views on historical issues, same-sex marriage and other controversial topics, such as the party’s political fund scandal, the biggest reason for election losses, and the party’s political fund scandal on anti-corruption measures. Their avoidance of these subjects raised questions about the party’s ability to regain public trust, analysts said.
Previous polls included Minister Kojima, Takada, Minister Hayashi, and Chief Executive Officer Yoshimasa Hayashi, a medium-sized veteran politician. The other two, Minister Motegi, Trade Minister and Minister of Economy, Kobayashi Yuki, were considered unlikely to be candidates. Kojima would have been the youngest prime minister in over a century if he had won.
