Japan’s ruling party leader Sanae Takaichi, who is poised to become the nation’s first female prime minister, is set to tap Satsuki Katayama as the country’s first female finance minister, according to local media.

Katayama, a former regional economic revitalization minister and Finance Ministry bureaucrat, is expected to replace Katsunobu Kato, local media including Kyodo News and the Asahi newspaper said Tuesday. She was one of the 20 lawmakers who backed Takaichi’s bid to become the Liberal Democratic Party’s leader earlier this month.

The 66-year-old’s appointment would be another milestone in a country often criticized for its slow progress on gender equality, particularly in the realms of politics and business. It would follow Takaichi’s historic rise to ruling party leader, but li

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