Sanae Takaichi becomes first woman candidate to join LDP president race in Japan

Tokyo: Japan’s Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, a staunch supporter of late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s vision of a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’ (FOIP), on Monday resumed her bid to become the country’s first female PM by announcing her candidacy for the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Takaichi, 63, lost in the first round during the LDP’s 2021 election, when incumbent Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was elected. Her decision to join the leadership race has given an interesting twist to the September 27 election, which will see a record number of candidates in the fray – seven so far – including Takaichi’s colleagues Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi and Digital Minister Taro Kono.

“I will pursue economic growth first and foremost, and as much as possible,” Japan’s leading news agency Kyodo News quoted Takaichi as saying during a press conference on Monday. She also noted the need for “strategic” fiscal spending for the economy.

Takaichi also stressed that Japan should ensure that its ally, the United States, remains “engaged” in the region. “The election will also feature another conservative lawmaker, Takayuki Kobayashi, 49, who served as economic security minister before Takaichi. Their contest has focused on how much support each candidate can garner from the LDP’s conservative base. Takaichi said she would push to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution as soon as possible to stipulate the existence of the Self-Defense Forces in line with the LDP’s goal,” Kyodo News reported.

“He also promised to remove a buoy installed by China in the waters around the Tokyo-controlled, Beijing-claimed Senkaku islands in the East China Sea,” the report said.

The LDP election is taking place after a slush fund scandal rocked the ruling party and forced Kishida, whose three-year term ends at the end of September, to step down.

“The election will also feature another conservative lawmaker, Takayuki Kobayashi, 49, who preceded Takaichi as economic security minister. Their contest has turned the focus on how much support each candidate can garner from the LDP’s conservative base,” Kyodo News elaborated.

(IANS)