Sanae Takaichi, Heavy Metal Drummer, To Lead Japan As First Female PM

<p>Japan’s former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi was elected leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in a vote on Saturday. She is set to become the first female Prime Minister of Japan on October 15.</p>
<p>Takaichi received 185 votes, while Koizumi garnered 156 in a runoff after none of the five candidates in the party leadership race secured a majority in the initial round of voting, according to local media reports.</p>
<p>In the first round of the election, Takaichi secured the lead with a total of 183 votes, which included 64 from party lawmakers and 119 from rank-and-file members. Koizumi followed closely behind with 164 votes, comprised of 80 from party lawmakers and 84 from rank-and-file members, country’s leading newspaper, The Japan Times, reported.</p>
<p>Lawmakers from the LDP started voting for a new leader earlier in the day, with five candidates competing to become the new party chief and virtually the country’s next prime minister.</p>
<p>Along with Sanae Takaichi, the contenders were former LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, and Takayuki Kobayashi.</p>
<p>All five also ran in last year’s election, which saw a record nine candidates.</p>
<p>The first round of the election, triggered by LDP President Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation last month, consisted of 590 votes, 295 from LDP lawmakers and 295 allocated proportionally to rank-and-file party members and registered supporters.</p>
<p>The contest focused on issues such as cooperation with opposition parties, economic measures to tackle rising prices, and rebuilding the party after successive election defeats and political funding scandals.</p>
<p>Years of sluggish growth, rising prices and a sharp depreciation of the yen have weighed heavily on the public, and the LDP’s twin defeats have left its leadership under closer scrutiny.</p>
<p>As the ruling bloc loses its historical dominance, the task ahead is unenviable: holding together a divided party, managing minority rule, and convincing a sceptical electorate that the LDP is still capable of providing stable government.</p>
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<p><em><strong>(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline ,no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)</strong></em></p>
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