Opposition Japan Innovation Party has backed Takaichi, paving the way for her to become Japan’s first female prime minister.
Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is poised to become the next prime minister after the opposition Japan Innovation Party stated that 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.
The coalition deal is set to be finalized on Oct. 20 in Tokyo, where Yoshimura is meeting with Takaichi.
“Together with the new President Takaichi, we will move politics forward for the future of Japan. I understand that from the party’s perspective, there is risk involved,” he said on X. “However, unless someone takes that risk, stagnant Japan will not find a way forward. For the sake of Japan, to fulfill our promises, and to advance society, I will take a step forward.”
Yoshimura and Ishin’s co-leader, Fumitake Fujita, met with party lawmakers earlier on Oct. 20 to discuss the proposed alliance.
The agreement would give the two parties a combined 231 seats in Japan’s lower house, just two short of an outright majority but enough to ensure that Takaichi wins a parliamentary vote on Oct. 21 to select the next prime minister.
Under the rules, she needs only a majority of ballots cast in a runoff vote, not of all lawmakers.
The new coalition would remain a minority government and would likely need support from other opposition groups to pass legislation.
Takaichi secured the leadership of the LDP on Oct. 4, positioning her to succeed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Six days later, the LDP’s longtime coalition partner, the Komeito Party, withdrew from the alliance amid a funding scandal. The move left Takaichi searching for new allies to secure a working majority in parliament.
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed the election result, describing Takaichi as a “highly respected person of great wisdom and strength.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent congratulated Takaichi on her election, saying in a post on X that she had proven herself to be “a strong leader, policy maker and communicator” and would be “a valuable partner in deepening the relationship between Japan and the United States.”
He noted that Washington looked forward to working with her on “economic and national security issues of mutual interest.”
