Sanae Takaichi is set to be sworn in as Japan's first female prime minister. Photo: AP PHOTO

Hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi is set to become Japan's first female prime minister after winning a critical vote in parliament's lower house.

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An acolyte of former prime minister Shinzo Abe and an admirer of Britain's Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi received 237 votes in the lower house election to choose the next premier, topping the majority of the 465-seat chamber.

Her victory shatters the glass ceiling in a nation where men still hold overwhelming sway and puts Japan, a close US ally,

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