Overview
- Both chambers of the Diet elected Sanae Takaichi as the 105th prime minister on February 18, formalizing her mandate to continue in office.
- The second Takaichi Cabinet was inaugurated after ceremonies at the Imperial Palace, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara announced a lineup that reappoints all ministers.
- Government focus turns to securing swift approval of the 2026 fiscal budget, which entered deliberations later than planned due to the lower house election.
- Takaichi met Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura at the prime minister’s office and agreed to work toward a coalition agreement.
- New Lower House Speaker Eisuke Mori pledged fair, not numbers-driven, Diet management and voiced a push for early consensus on imperial succession, even as cross-party talks remain stalled.