General Discussion

“Trumpism has suddenly arrived in Asia,” said Katsuyuki Yakushiji, a political analyst in Tokyo.

The rise of Ms. Takaichi, an ally of Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister assassinated in 2022, could heighten tensions with neighbors like China and South Korea. Ms. Takaichi’s hawkish, nationalist stance — including her regular visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead including Class A war criminals from the World War II era — has long been a source of diplomatic strain with Beijing and Seoul.

During the campaign, Ms. Takaichi was blunt, blaming foreigners for kicking the cherished deer in Nara, where she is from, and doing pull-ups on gates outside sacred shrines.

While Ms. Takaichi’s victory is a landmark for Japan — she is the first woman to lead the Liberal Democratic Party in its 70-year history — she is not seen as a champion of women’s rights.

Ms. Takaichi has opposed legal changes that would allow women to reign as emperor. And she has previously spoken out against the idea of changing the century-old law requiring married couples to share a surname for legal purposes, saying that revising the law could lead to divorce or extramarital affairs. She has also opposed same-sex marriage.