Japan's first female PM prepares her Cabinet

Sanae Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister, is racing to form her coalition cabinet after being elected as the country's 104th government leader on Tuesday.

The president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, garnered 237 votes against Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda's 149 in the first round of elections in the Lower House, while securing 125 votes in the Upper House runoff.

Japanese law requires at least 233 votes in the first round of the Lower House of the Diet to be declared in this nominated election. If no candidate meets the requirement, the candidate with the higher votes will win in the runoff election of the top two candidates in the first round.

Takaichi, the 64-year-old conservative politician, was elected president of the ruling LDP on Oct 4, succeeding Shigeru Ishiba, who stepped down midway through his term to take responsibility for the party's two consecutive losses in national elections. The defeats left the LDP in the minority in both the Lower and Upper houses.

Takaichi will now lead a minority government with a new coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party. JIP's 35 votes in the Lower House contributed most to her success after their party broke up with its 26-year coalition partner Komeito earlier this month.

The new LDP-JIP coalition will "aim to revive Japan" by creating a "self-sustaining nation" in the region, according to their agreement.

Takaichi is expected to form her cabinet later today. While no JIP lawmakers are anticipated to join the cabinet, JIP parliamentary affairs chief, Takashi Endo is likely to be appointed as an aide to the prime minister, potentially granting him influence within the prime minister's office, according to Japanese media.

Early in the morning, outgoing Prime Minister Ishiba, who served for 386 days as prime minister, and his cabinet resigned en masse, paving the way for the election.

In a statement issued upon his cabinet's resignation, Ishiba said that despite the difficulties of leading a minority government, he had sought sincere dialogue and openness with the public, expressed gratitude for their support, and called on them to continue backing the new cabinet and prime minister in meeting challenges at home and abroad.

houjunjie@chinadaily.com