Japan's political situation

Takaichi becomes Japan's first female prime minister

Sanae Takaichi, 64, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was voted in as Japan's first female prime minister on Tuesday, several media outlets reported.

Sanae Takaichi won a majority in the lower house vote, with 237 out of 465 votes, Reuters reported.

She will most likely be voted through in the upper house as well and be sworn in as Japan's 104th prime minister later in the day.

Analysis: Not necessarily a victory for women

Japan’s new, and first female, prime minister Sanae Takaichi will have very little time to salvage her historic appointment, writes The Guardian’s Justin McCurry in an analysis.

Sanae Takaichi took over the leadership of the fractured Liberal Democratic Party earlier in October. Many within the party have advocated change to regain the trust of voters. But Sanae Takaichi’s election “is seen more as the result of a power struggle between the party’s liberal and conservative factions – rather than the start of a new political era in Japan,” writes Justin McCurry.

ABC Australia’s James Oaten also writes that Sanae Takaichi’s appointment is historic, but that it does not necessarily mean a victory for women in one of the world’s least equal countries.

He writes that Sanae Takaichi is a staunch conservative and has advocated traditional family structures. She has supported laws banning married couples from having different surnames and opposed proposals to allow a future female emperor.

Oaten also writes that there is little sign that Takaichi wants to implement reforms that make it easier for mothers to balance work and family life, something many women in Japan worry could harm their careers.