One year since the Takaichi administration took office... The 'one-strong system' and economic policy are put to the test amidst the storm

(Tokyo = Yonhap News) Correspondent Cho Sung-mi = On the 21st, it will be exactly one year since the inauguration of the Sanae Takaichi regime in Japan.

In the Japanese political world, which is male-centered and has a strong hereditary political climate, the fact that Sanae Takaichi, a female lawmaker who graduated from the local national Kobe University rather than a prestigious university in Tokyo, was elected as Japan's first female prime minister was itself an 'event' in Japanese political history.

In the early days of his inauguration, with an overwhelming approval rating exceeding 70%, he made a bold move to dissolve the House of Representatives and hold an early general election, and won an overwhelming victory.

Since then, he has risen from a non-mainstream member with a weak base within the Liberal Democratic Party to one of the 'strongest' members, and this position is being maintained without any major shakeup at this point.

However, the possibility of putting pressure on the economy of the common people by causing high prices and a weak yen before the 'Takaichi's' investment policy and household burden reduction measures proposed to rebuild a 'strong Japan' have achieved results, are emerging as an important variable that will affect his future political life.

◇ Dramatic election as Japan’s first female prime minister… With approval ratings down, the House of Representatives is dissolved.

Prime Minister Takaichi ran for the second time in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election in September 2024, but was defeated by former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in second place. In his third run in October last year, he defeated the current Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who was a strong candidate, and was finally elected as the new president of the Liberal Democratic Party.

However, Komeito, which had been in the ruling coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party for 26 years, announced its departure from the coalition government, casting a cloud over the future of Liberal Democratic Party President Takaichi Takaichi as prime minister.

Accordingly, the Liberal Democratic Party dramatically reached an agreement with the right-wing Japan Restoration Association, the second opposition party, to establish a coalition government, and after a nomination election for prime minister, she was inaugurated as Japan's first female prime minister and the 104th prime minister.

The approval rating of Takaichi's cabinet was high, recording in the 60-70% range at the beginning of its launch. The approval rating was considerably higher compared to the time when the cabinets of Yoshihide Suga, Fumio Kishida, and Shigeru Ishiba were launched in the 2020s.

Prime Minister Takaichi's background and political style, which broke the 'formula' of Japanese politics, his down-to-earth human side by using a common Kansai dialect, his use of an intuitive speaking style that is easy to hear, and his appearance as a person of daily life who personally shops for groceries and takes care of his sick husband led to enthusiastic support.

Prime Minister Takaichi is taking a 'political gamble' based on his high approval rating.

At the opening of the regular National Assembly in January of this year, it was announced that the House of Representatives would be dissolved and a general election would be held next month.

The decision to disband for political reasons, only one year and four months after the previous general election held in late October 2024, was accepted as an unprecedented case.

It was a bid to win the position of Prime Minister with the intention of taking the lead in future state affairs by overcoming the situation where major positions such as the Chairman of the Budget Committee and the Chairman of the Constitutional Review Committee are occupied by opposition party members and the ruling party does not have enough seats.

In the general election held in February, the Liberal Democratic Party, riding on Prime Minister Takaichi's popularity, achieved a historic victory, sweeping more than two-thirds of the seats, and Prime Minister Takaichi was successfully re-elected as the 105th Prime Minister.

However, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Restoration Association do not have a majority of seats in the House of Councilors (Senate), so cooperation with the opposition party is necessary in processing some bills.

Prime Minister Takaichi resolved his weakness of having a weak base within the party by joining hands with Vice President Taro Aso, a powerful figure, and is leading major policies such as strengthening defense capabilities and expansionary fiscal policies while establishing the 'Takaichi No. 1' system.

However, the approval rating, which had reached 70%, has recently fallen considerably. In the recent cabinet reshuffle, the loopholes in Takaichi's one-strong system were gradually revealed, with Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Kazuo Yana stepping down after 28 days after sparking controversy over remarks regarding unfair budget cuts and allegations of illegal donations.

According to Kyodo News on the 19th, in a public opinion poll conducted by this media outlet over two days from the 17th, the approval rating of Takaichi's cabinet was 49.1%, falling below 50% for the first time since the inauguration of the administration.

However, the approval rating is still higher at 33.0%, so it appears that Japanese voters have not completely lost their expectations for Prime Minister Takaichi.

Whether Prime Minister Takaichi will be re-elected in the next Liberal Democratic Party presidential election to be held in September 2027 is expected to be a watershed for future Japanese politics.

Defense Minister Koizumi and former Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who ran against him in the 2025 governorship election, are considered opponents.

◇ Suspension of visit to Yasukuni, succession of shuttle diplomacy between Korea and Japan… Confrontation with North Korea, China and Russia

Before taking office as prime minister, Prime Minister Takaichi was a right-wing figure who had a history of attending the annual Yasukuni Shrine festival held in the spring and fall.

He, who was a political newcomer in 1995 when the 'Murayama Statement' containing reflection and apology for past colonial rule was announced, once said, "At least I am from a generation that cannot say that I was a party (to the war), so I am not reflecting and there is no reason to be asked to reflect."

Because of this history, concerns have been raised that Prime Minister Takaichi may be forming tensions with neighboring countries over historical awareness after he took office.

However, when his status changed from an individual politician to a prime minister in charge of national affairs, he stopped visiting Yasukuni Shrine and turned to a more passive act of offering tribute.

He also adjusted the tone in related remarks, repeatedly stating his position to inherit the historical awareness of previous cabinets, including the Murayama Statement.

This is interpreted as a result of the perception that China, Russia, and North Korea are countries that can threaten Japan's security, and the judgment that diplomatic burden could increase if relations with South Korea worsen while maintaining tense relations with neighboring countries.

There is also a hint of an intention not to provoke the United States, which does not want to see cracks in the Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation system.

However, just before attending the memorial ceremony for Japan's war dead held on August 15th, Prime Minister Takaichi performed a 'bowing' to the Yasukuni Shrine, which was hundreds of meters away.

This was assessed as an act that met the expectations of conservative supporters in the country without provoking Korea and the United States, and that, to a small extent, realized its usual beliefs.

Prime Minister Takaichi withheld his visit to the Yasukuni Shrine's fall annual festival held on the 17th, but his close associate and aide to Prime Minister Kenji Wakamiya, who is in charge of national security, paid a visit. This can be interpreted in a similar context.

Although he is credited with contributing to the birth of Korea-Japan relations, which are closer than ever before by faithfully engaging in shuttle diplomacy with President Lee Jae-myung, relations with China have become strained since he made a statement suggesting "intervention in Taiwan in case of emergency" in November of last year, immediately after taking office as prime minister.

China objected, calling it 'interference in internal affairs' and took retaliatory measures, such as restricting the export of key minerals and banning travel and study abroad.

Prime Minister Takaichi has no choice but to attempt to improve relations with China considering the negative impact on the Japanese economy, but analysts say that the cards he can use in the current situation where China is maintaining a hard-line stance are limited.

In addition, the US Donald Trump administration's efforts to restore relations with China embarrassed Prime Minister Takaichi and served as an opportunity to spread anxiety in Japan that Japan might be isolated.

Prime Minister Takaichi, who has pledged to 'strengthen and enrich the Japanese archipelago,' is pursuing a plan to revitalize the Japanese economy by pouring 370 trillion yen (approximately 3,124 trillion won) into strategic areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and improving food security by 2040.

We also took steps to cut taxes, including a temporary cut in the food consumption tax rate.

Although it takes a considerable period of time for strategic investments to bear fruit, some say that the news that Japan, which already has the highest national debt ratio among major developed countries, is embarking on an expansionary fiscal policy may increase concerns about fiscal soundness and add to the weakening yen and rising inflation pressures.

The policy of enshrining the Self-Defense Forces in the constitution and drastically expanding defense spending, promising to become a strong Japan, also appears to lead to increased fiscal spending.

The direction of Japanese voters' approval rating is expected to depend on whether the ambitious policies pursued by Prime Minister Takaichi, who gained popularity for his people-friendly style, will boomerang into the lives of the common people.