TOKYO - Japan's former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi on Saturday won the presidency of the country's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), becoming its first female leader and, in all likelihood, the country's first woman prime minister.

Her victory, built on support from the LDP's grassroots and the backing of conservative heavyweights, marks the first in Japan's male-dominated politics and the further right-leaning of the country's politics and society. Facing multiple challenges, her way of governing a fractured nation would be uneasy.

Strong LDP grassroots support

Five candidates competed in Saturday's election, including Sanae Takaichi, Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, former Economic Security Minister Takayuki Kobayashi, and former LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi.

After no candidate secured a majority in the first round of voting, the top two finishers Takaichi and Koizumi advanced to a runoff. In the final tally, Takaichi won 185 votes to Koizumi's 156, drawing on her broad base of support among local party members and affiliates, whose votes were crucial in the second round.

Observers noted that Takaichi's advantage in the LDP's local branches' votes compensated for her initial weakness among LDP lawmakers. Amid the party's low public approval following the political fundraising scandal, many lawmakers ultimately rallied behind Takaichi, who was viewed as more popular with the party base.

Koizumi, meanwhile, was hurt by late-campaign controversies, including allegations that his team manipulated online ratings and that members of his local LDP branch were expelled for backing Takaichi.

Rightward drift

At 64, Takaichi is a prominent conservative known for her visits to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine and her hawkish views on defense and foreign policy. She advocates for a larger defense budget, a national anti-espionage law, and tighter immigration controls.

During the campaign, she made remarks criticizing the behavior of foreign tourists -- including an allegation about "foreigners kicking deer in Nara Park," a claim swiftly denied by local authorities but embraced by populist corners of the right.

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All five candidates took broadly conservative positions on defense and security, but Takaichi's rhetoric was the most hardline, earning her solid backing from the LDP's right-wing faction, once led by late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Analysts said her victory underscores a trend of growing conservatism in Japanese politics.

Her stance on immigration also mirrors that of the far-right Sanseito party, which gained traction in recent elections by promoting "Japan First" and anti-immigrant narratives. Both her rise and Sanseito's growth point to a wider rightward turn in Japanese society.

Mounting challenges ahead

Takaichi must still be formally elected prime minister in an upcoming Diet vote expected in mid-October.

The ruling coalition of the LDP and Komeito does not have a majority in either chamber, but the LDP remains the largest party in the Diet. Meanwhile, the opposition, deeply divided, has yet to rally around a single candidate, meaning Takaichi will almost certainly succeed Shigeru Ishiba as prime minister and become the first woman to lead the country.

She may seek cooperation or even coalition expansion with smaller opposition parties -- a politically delicate task.

She also faces the urgent need to restore public trust in the LDP after the "black money" scandal, which heavily involved members of the Abe faction that supports her. Meanwhile, rising living costs, demographic decline, and sluggish regional economies continue to erode public confidence.

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Takaichi has vowed to revive elements of Abenomics, pursuing aggressive fiscal stimulus, though critics say this approach worsened debt and inequality. With a divided Diet, implementing such policies will be difficult.

On the foreign policy front, while Japan and the United States recently reached a tariff agreement, uncertainties remain over its implementation and U.S. investment commitments. Observers warn that if Takaichi's nationalist agenda translates into policy, it could heighten tensions with neighboring countries.