POLITICAL STABILITY AND FRAGILE MANDATE
Japan has long been known for its “revolving door” leadership, with a series of short-lived prime ministers cycling through office over the years — many lasting barely a year before being replaced.
One of Takaichi’s first challenges would be to simply remain in office for more than a year, Pesek told CNA’s Asia First programme.
“She’ll have to work very, very hard to make sure that she’s around for longer than 12 months, and at that point, she probably will have the latitude to make some reforms in the economy,” said Pesek, author of Japanization: What the World Can Learn from Japan’s Lost Decades.
“But I think in many ways, one of her immediate challenges will be to put some wins on the board and stay around for more than 12 months. The easiest way to win support within the party, unfortunately, for better or worse, is to go after China.”
Seijiro Takeshita, professor of management and information at the University of Shizuoka, cautioned that if Japan continues its “revolving door” pattern of prime ministers, it will be difficult to push through meaningful structural reforms.
The veteran politician, who previously held several ministerial posts, is now considering whom to appoint to her Cabinet.
As the LDP no longer holds a majority in either house, Takaichi will need to secure support from other parties for almost every policy initiative she pursues, said Takeshita.
But Takeshita said his conversations with opposition MPs indicate a growing willingness to back policies based on substance rather than party lines.
“So from that point of view, maybe it’s not as bad as many people think,” he added.
“But still, she would have to basically confirm and get a coalition on every single policy that they’re trying to basically go forward with.”
The LDP has lost ground in recent elections, eroded by public anger over inflation and unpopular tax hikes.
“She needs to bring back more seats in the coming elections,” said Kotaro Tamura, adjunct professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.
“For that, she needs to listen to the people suffering from tax hikes and higher prices,” added Tamura, a former councillor and parliamentary minister for economic and fiscal policy in Japan.
Meanwhile, her win as LDP leader has been highlighted as a symbolic breakthrough in a country that ranks low on gender equality indices.
But analysts noted that Takaichi’s conservatism tempers expectations for gender progress.
She has long opposed legislation that would allow women to retain their maiden names after marriage, and supports maintaining the imperial family’s male-only line of succession.
While it is encouraging to see the glass ceiling finally shattered, whether she will actually advance gender equality “remains to be seen”, said Pesek.
Source: CNA
