Morning Brief: Japan Elects First Female to Head of Ruling Party, California Guard Head to Portland

Sanae Takaichi Breaks Japan’s Highest Glass Ceiling

Sanae Takaichi is set to become Japan’s first female prime minister after winning the Liberal Democratic Party leadership in a runoff over Shinjiro Koizumi. She is 64, a veteran conservative with deep ties to the late Shinzo Abe, and now the face of a party trying to claw back credibility after a bruising year. Her victory follows the resignation of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who stepped down after repeated electoral setbacks that cost the ruling camp its grip on both chamber s.

If you are looking for a Thatcher comparison, Takaichi invites it. She has long pitched fiscal muscle and national resolve, and she is known for visits to Yasukuni Shrine, the flashpoint that irritates Beijing and Seoul. That symbolism matters.