President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has congratulated Sanae Takaichi on her election as Japan’s first female prime minister, a historic breakthrough in the country’s postwar political history.
Takaichi was elected on Tuesday after receiving 237 votes in the lower house of Japan’s National Diet, surpassing the majority threshold in the 465-seat chamber. Her victory followed a coalition agreement reached the previous day between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the right-wing Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin.
President Muizzu shared his congratulations in a message posted to social media. “Congratulations Your Excellency @takaichi_sanae [Sanae Takaichi], on your election as the first female Prime Minister of Japan,” he wrote.
He also expressed confidence in her leadership and reaffirmed his commitment to bilateral cooperation. “I am fully confident that with your wealth of experience in public service Japan will attain new heights of progress, and I look forward to working with Your Excellency and your government to strengthen the long-standing friendly ties between the Maldives and Japan,” President Muizzu wrote.
Takaichi’s appointment was subsequently endorsed by the upper house, which holds less legislative authority. She is expected to be sworn in as Japan’s 104th prime minister on Tuesday evening, succeeding Shigeru Ishiba, who announced his resignation last month following his party’s electoral setbacks.