On October 21, Sanae Takaichi, 64, president of the Liberal Democratic Party, was elected as the first female prime minister in the history of constitutional government. Kiyomi Tsujimoto, 65, a member of the House of Councillors of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), who has known Ms. Takaichi since her 20s, wondered how she felt about her “comrade-in-arms,” who has worked with her as a female politician. When interviewed, Ms. Tsujimoto replied, “You, get a grip! He gave a full-throated exhortation to Mr. Takaichi, “You, get your shit together! Photo] Even though they call each other “chanzuke,” Tsujimoto and Takaichi face off in the Diet * * * * — When Mr. Takaichi won the LDP presidential election on October 4, Tsujimoto congratulated him in his X post, saying, “Mr. Takaichi, you have broken one of the glass ceilings. Mr. Koichi has broken one of the glass ceilings,” Tsujimoto congratulated him in his X post. What do you think of Mr. Takaichi’s rise not only to the presidency but also to the prime minister’s office? I think it is the result of tremendous efforts. When Komeito withdrew from the coalition after she was elected president, I thought Sanae Takaichi was in trouble! I thought, “Oh my God, she’s in trouble! But she declared in her speech that she would do everything she could and that she would definitely become the prime minister. Seeing her formidable face, I knew that she was determined to win the prime minister’s seat. As a result, she got through the leadership election by forming a coalition with the Japan Restoration Association, regardless of how she wanted to do it. However, I think that the coalition agreement with the Restoration Association is quite unreasonable. For example, the agreement states that the coalition aims to reduce the number of lower house lawmakers, but this is not about the “cut and run” reforms that the Restoration Party is talking about, but about the design of a system to deliver the voice of the people to the Diet, which is a matter that goes to the very foundation of democracy. This is not a topic that can be advanced after only a few days of discussions with a political party that has chosen to cooperate outside the Cabinet without responsibility for the Cabinet. I believe that the cost of pushing too hard to become prime minister will come back to haunt him in his future administration. In fact, leading members of the LDP complained, “Why did they make such an agreement without discussing it within the party? The nomination election for the leadership was a deciding vote in the Upper House, as Mr. Takaichi did not receive a majority of votes. This means that the bill could be rejected by the upper house. The Takaichi administration will have an even thornier road ahead than the Ishiba administration.
