Sanae Takaichi is prime minister again. Japan focuses on “active policy”

Sanae Takaichi was re-elected by parliament on Wednesday as Japan's head of government. The leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) retained her position after the historic victory of her party, which secured an absolute majority in the lower house of parliament in the February elections.

In Wednesday's vote, Takaichi received 354 votes in the 465-seat House of Representatives. She was also supported by the opposition-controlled upper house, the House of Councillors, where Takaichi won 123 of 246 votes in the second vote after failing to obtain an absolute majority in the first.

Her main rival, the new leader of the opposition Center Reform Alliance, Junya Ogawa, received only 50 votes in the lower house.

Takaichi's re-election as prime minister follows the February 8 elections in which the ruling LDP won an independent two-thirds majority for the first time in the country's post-war history. Together with the coalition Japan Innovation Party (JPI), it holds 352 of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives, which gives it a strong mandate to govern. According to the latest poll for the Nikkei newspaper, the government enjoys stable public support at 69 percent.

Takaichi, the first woman to hold the position of head of government in the history of Japan, announced that she would maintain the current government staff, including Toshimitsu Motegi as foreign minister, Satsuki Katayama as finance minister and Shinjiro Koizumi as defense minister.

MPs from JPI will remain outside the government for now, offering the so-called non-governmental cooperation, although their entry into the government is expected during the autumn reconstruction.

The government is to be officially sworn in on Wednesday during a ceremony at the Imperial Palace.

The priority of the new administration is the rapid adoption of the budget for fiscal year 2026 and the implementation of election promises, including “responsible active fiscal policy” and the two-year abolition of the consumption tax on food. Takaichi, known for her conservative views, also announced her intention to amend the country's pacifist constitution. In March, he plans to visit Washington and meet with US President Donald Trump to strengthen the alliance.

Krzysztof Pawliszak (PAP)

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