Sanae Takaichi on Cusp of Becoming Japan’s Next Prime Minister Amid Coalition Talks

Opposition Japan Innovation Party has backed Takaichi, paving the way for her to become Japan’s first female prime minister.

Sanae Takaichi, the newly-elected leader of Japan's ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), poses for a photo in the party leader's office after the LDP presidential election in Tokyo on Oct. 4, 2025. Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images

Sanae Takaichi, the leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is poised to become the next prime minister after the opposition Japan Innovation Party said it would back her in forming a new government.

“I told Takaichi that we should move forward together,” Hirofumi Yoshimura, head of the Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin, told reporters in Osaka.