Japan has appointed Sanae Takaichi as its first woman prime minister after winning a slim majority in a first round of voting.

Takaichi, a China hawk and social conservative, has formed an 11th-hour coalition deal with the reformist Japan Innovation Party (JIP).

She has pledged to make Japan’s economy stronger and reshape the country as a responsible country for future generations.

Takaichi has promised a cabinet with “Nordic” levels of women, up from two under outgoing premier Shigeru Ishiba.

She has also pledged to raise awareness about women’s health struggles and opposes revising a 19th-century law requiring married couples to share the same surname.

Japan ranks 118 out of 148 in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, with around 15% of lower house MPs being women and corporate boardrooms overwhelmingly male.