Japan reappoints Sanae Takaichi as Prime Minister following election

Japan reappoints Sanae Takaichi as Prime Minister, pledging to strengthen defense, tackle inflation, and reform immigration policies.

Japan's lower house formally reappointed Sanae Takaichi as Prime Minister on Wednesday (February 18, 2026), 10 days after her historic landslide election victory.

Ms. Takaichi, 64, became Japan's first woman premier in October and won a two-thirds majority for her party in the snap lower house elections on February 8.

She has pledged to bolster Japan's defences to protect its territory and waters, likely further straining relations with Beijing, and to boost the flagging economy.

Ms. Takaichi suggested in November that Japan could intervene militarily if Beijing sought to take Taiwan by force.

China, which regards the democratic island as part of its territory and has not ruled out force to annex it, was furious.

Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi told the Munich Security Conference on Saturday (February 14) that forces in Japan were seeking to "revive militarism".