Takaichi Sanae, a conservative hardliner, defeated four other colleagues running to head the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP ). She is poised to become Japan’s first female prime minister when the Diet meets to elect a new one in a vote expected on October 15th.

The MSCI Japan index is up 35% from its April 7 low following the tariff announcements and the political turmoil that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The iShares MSCI Japan exchange-traded fund is up 20% year to date, besting the S&P 500.

Japan's ruling party picked hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi as its head on Saturday, putting her on course to become the country's first female prime minister in a move set to jolt investors and neighbours.

The message may sound a little desperate, but that reflects a crisis in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has dominated Japan’s politics for seven decades. For the first time, it is governing with a minority in both chambers of the country’s parliament.

In a country that ranks poorly internationally for gender equality, the new president of Japan's long-governing Liberal Democrats, and likely next prime minister, is an ultra-conservative star of a male-dominated party that critics call an obstacle to women's advancement.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s long-governing Liberal Democratic Party will choose a new leader on Saturday to replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, but the winner must quickly restore political stability and regain public support for the struggling party to stay in power.

Takaichi is the first female president of Japan's predominantly male ruling party that has dominated Japan's postwar politics almost without interruption. First elected to parliament from her hometown of Nara in 1993, she has served in key party and government posts, including minister of economic security, internal affairs and gender equality.

Sanae Takaichi, a hardline conservative and security hawk, is set to become Japan’s first female prime minister amid rising tensions in Asia.

ASAHIKAWA, Japan - Nobuo Kubo inherited his rice farm four decades ago, becoming the third generation in his family to look after the lush fields at the base of Mount Daisetsu. The pristine snow melt has made this region in Hokkaido prefecture one of Japan’s leading rice producers.

The small, upstart Sanseito party’s ‘Japanese First’ message capitalized on anxieties about immigration and frustration with the political establishment.