Japan's ruling conservative party has elected Sanae Takaichi as its new leader, positioning the 64-year-old to be Japan's first female prime minister.
Takaichi is among the more conservative candidates leaning to the ruling party's right. A former government minister, TV host, and avid heavy metal drummer, she is one of the best-known figures in Japanese politics - and a controversial one at that.
She faces many challenges, including contending with a sluggish economy and households struggling with relentless inflation and stagnant wages.
She will also have to navigate a rocky US-Japan relationship and see through a tariff deal with the Trump administration agreed upon by the previous government.
If confirmed as prime minister, one of Takaichi's key challenges will be uniting the party after a turbulent few years which saw it rocked by scandals and internal conflicts.
Last month, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, whose term lasted just over a year, announced he would step down following a series of election defeats that saw the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) governing coalition lose its majority in both chambers of parliament.
Prof Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University in Tokyo, stated that Takaichi was unlikely to have 'much success at healing the internal party rift.'
Takaichi belongs to the 'hardline' faction of the LDP, which believes the LDP support has imploded because it lost touch with its right-wing DNA.
'I think she's in a good position to regain the right-wing voters, but at the expense of wider popular appeal as they approach a national election.'
Takaichi, a long-time admirer of Britain's first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, is close to fulfilling this Iron Lady ambition. However, many women voters do not see her as an advocate for progress.
'She calls herself Japan's Margaret Thatcher. In terms of fiscal discipline, she's anything but Thatcher,' noted Prof Kingston.
'But like Thatcher, she's not much of a healer. I don't think she's done much to empower women.'
Takaichi is a staunch conservative who has opposed legislation allowing women to keep their maiden names after marriage, claiming it is against tradition. She is also against same-sex marriage.
A protégé of the late former leader Shinzo Abe, Takaichi has vowed to reinstate his economic vision, known as Abenomics, which focuses on high fiscal spending and cheap borrowing.
The LDP veteran is hawkish on security and aims to revise Japan's pacifist constitution. She is also a frequent visitor of the controversial Yasukuni shrine where Japan's war dead, including some convicted war criminals, are memorialized.
While she is likely to be confirmed by Parliament, it will not be automatically as her predecessors were, due to the ruling party now being in a much weaker position after losing its majority in both houses.
