Sanae Takaichi, a 64-year-old conservative leader, was elected prime minister on Tuesday by Japan’s parliament. Photo: AFP / Getty Images

On Tuesday, Sanae Takaichi won a vote of 237-149 in the lower house of parliament over her closest opponent, Yoshihiko Noda. She also won a 125-46 vote by upper house lawmakers.

In her victory speech, Takaichi promised to devote herself to the job.

“I myself will throw out the term ‘work-life balance,’” she said. “I will work and work and work and work and work.”

Takaichi, 64, is the new leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP); however, her ultraconservative policies have some critics concerned that her historic election victory is merely symbolic.

“One would like to say this is a historic moment in Japan,” Jeff Kingston, a professor of Asian studies and history at Temple University’s Japan campus, told NBC News. “But it’s really hard to make that case, given her rather poor track record on empowering women.”

Takaichi favors male primogeniture when it comes to the rules of succession in Japan's imperial family. She also opposes same-sex marriage.

Additionally, she has opposed proposals to make it easier for married women in Japan to keep their maiden name, despite the fact that she herself continued to use her maiden name professionally when first married to her husband, Taku Yamamoto.

Takaichi appointed two women to her Cabinet, including Satsuki Katayama, Japan’s first female finance minister. It's a small step forward for the country, who, despite having the world's fourth-largest economy, ranked 118th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Gender Gap Report.

Japan's new prime minister was a protégé of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and considers former British PM Margaret Thatcher to be her political inspiration. She campaigned primarily on the economy, as the rising cost of living is a chief concern among Japanese voters.

However, plenty of issues lie ahead for the new leader, whose predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, only lasted one year in the office.

“She doesn’t have a whole lot of time to get ready for a slew of diplomatic activity,” Kingston said. “But I think job one is the Japanese economy.”

Trump is set to spend three days in Japan, beginning on Oct. 27. The stop comes after an official visit to Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, and before the president heads to South Korea for his highly touted meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Despite tension between the two leaders over Trump's tariff threats, the president told reporters on Monday, Oct. 20, that he plans to broker "a fantastic deal with China."

"It’s going to be a great trade deal. It’s going to be fantastic for both countries, and it’s going to be fantastic for the entire world,” Trump said.