India, Oct. 7 -- For the first time in its postwar history, Japan will elect a woman as the Prime Minister (PM). Sanae Takaichi, a veteran conservative politician secured the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s presidency, and if the Diet (Japan's parliament) endorses her for the PM post, she will break a barrier that has stood firm for nearly eight decades.

Her election to the LDP presidency was a surprise to many, given opinion polls suggested that Koizumi Shinjiro, the youthful agriculture minister and reformist star, would emerge as the frontrunner. Koizumi represented generational renewal and enjoyed strong public backing. Yet, the LDP's factional arithmetic, grassroots loyalties, and conservative instincts produced a different ...