Sanae Takaichi (pictured), president of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was elected prime minister in a Tuesday parliamentary vote, becoming the nation’s first female premier.
The 64-year-old is described as part of the LDP’s most conservative wing, and was a protege of the late Shinzo Abe, who as prime minister oversaw the start of the casino liberalisation process.
On Monday, the LDP and the Japan Innovation Party had signed an agreement to form a coalition government, according to local media reports.
The Japan Innovation Party, a smaller right-leaning party also known as Ishin no Kai, is headed by Hirofumi Yoshimura, who serves as governor of Osaka prefecture, the first place in Japan to be building an integrated resort (IR) with casino, namely MGM Osaka, due to open in 2030.
The LDP’s previous coalition partner, the Buddhist-backed Komeito party, had split from the government, just days after Ms Takaichi was chosen by her party as LDP leader.
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote in the parliament, departing Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned with his cabinet, marking an end to the administration that took office just over a year ago. Mr Ishiba announced his resignation last month to take responsibility for local election losses.
In an afternoon session on Tuesday, Ms Takaichi got 125 votes in the Upper House of the nation’s parliament, one more vote than what she had needed to win a simple majority. Earlier in the day, she got 237 votes in the Lower House, more than the required majority of 233.
Following her election, a new cabinet will be announced. The members will then head to the imperial palace for an attestation ceremony and hold their first cabinet meeting.
The new coalition government is still short of a majority in both houses of parliament and will other opposition groups to pass any legislation.
The Japanese national authorities are said to be considering launching a new round of applications for local governments hoping to host a casino resort.
The only IR approved in a first-round application process was MGM Osaka, a venture between MGM Resorts International and Japan’s Orix Corp, along with smaller contributions from other local corporations.
