Japan is set to get its first female prime minister after social conservative Sanae Takaichi, a China hawk, struck a last-minute deal on Monday to form a new coalition.
Takaichi, Japan’s fifth prime minister in as many years, will replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and lead a minority government.
On October 4, Takaichi won the leadership of Japan’s long-ruling but increasingly unpopular Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
But six days later, the Komeito Party, uncomfortable with Takaichi’s conservative views and the LDP’s slush fund scandal, left the coalition, forcing the 64-year-old Takaichi into an alliance with the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), which was signed on Monday night.
(This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates.)
