Japan’s New Ultra-Conservative Leader Faces Immediate Tests Amid Coalition Crisis

Japan stands at a crossroads with the elevation of Sanae Takaichi, a hard-line conservative and staunch supporter of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s nationalist vision, to lead the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Poised to become Japan’s first female prime minister, Takaichi inherits not only the burdens of governance but also the formidable challenge of preserving a fractured coalition and maintaining Japan’s vital role on the world stage.Will Ultra-Conservative Policies Undermine Japan’s Strategic Stability?Takaichi’s ascent is a stark reminder that political ideology cannot be divorced from diplomatic reality. Her rigid hold on revisionist wartime narratives and frequent visits to the contentious...