India, Oct. 22 -- Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Sanae Takaichi, 64, made history on Tuesday by becoming the country's first woman prime minister, replacing Shigeru Ishiba. Her victory was secured through a coalition agreement between the LDP and the right-wing Japan Innovation Party (Ishin), which gave her the parliamentary majority needed to take office.

A former minister for economic security and internal affairs, Takaichi has been a prominent figure in Japanese politics for nearly 30 years. Often described as ultraconservative, she is a long-time admirer of Britain's former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, whom she calls her "political hero," and has openly expressed her desire to "become the Iron Lady."

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