US congratulates Japan’s Prime Minister ​Sanae Takaichi

The United States on Wednesday congratulated Sanae Takaichi on her election as Prime Minister of Japan, declaring its readiness to work with her government.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration looks forward to strengthening the U.S.–Japan alliance, deepening cooperation, building economic prosperity, and enhancing regional security.

Rubio also praised former Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru for his “commitment to pursuing a new golden age for U.S.–Japan relations and upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Japan on October 27 after visiting Malaysia, where the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will hold a summit.

Trump will also travel to South Korea, where he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

On Tuesday, Japan’s legislature, known as the National Diet, elected 64-year-old Takaichi — a tough conservative — as the country’s first female prime minister.

Takaichi, who served as Minister of State for Economic Security from 2022 to 2024, has expressed her determination to build a strong Japanese economy and protect Japan’s national interests through diplomacy and security.

An admirer of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the new leader lost to former Prime Minister Ishiba in a runoff in the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race in 2024.

Ishiba, 68, resigned in September after an eleven-month tenure, bowing to pressure to step down following a historic defeat in July’s parliamentary election.