New Delhi, Oct. 22 -- Japan's parliament on Tuesday elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country's first female prime minister, and she underlined her commitment to boosting Japanese defense as she prepared to host visiting U.S. President Donald Trump next week.

Takaichi replaces outgoing Shigeru Ishiba after the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered disastrous losses in July elections for parliament's upper house and lost its majority in the lower house last year. Her election comes a day after the LDP struck a deal in a fragile coalition with a new partner expected to pull her governing bloc further to the right.

"I'm determined to build a strong Japanese economy and protect Japan's national interest with diplomacy ...