Overview
- The House of Representatives elected Sanae Takaichi as Japan’s 104th prime minister, following the Ishiba cabinet’s formal resignation earlier in the day.
- The Liberal Democratic Party and Japan Innovation Party reached a coalition agreement that postpones disagreements on corporate donation bans and a consumption tax cut to prioritize launching the government.
- Japan Innovation will not take cabinet seats, and LDP is set to name an Ishin lawmaker as a prime ministerial aide, while Takaichi readies her policy speech for later this week.
- Key appointments are being prepared, with reports pointing to Minoru Kihara as chief cabinet secretary, Shinjiro Koizumi as defense minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi as internal affairs minister, Toshimitsu Motegi as foreign minister, and Kimi Onoda as economic security minister.
- Taiwan’s president congratulated Takaichi and voiced hopes for deeper ties, Russia’s TASS downplayed prospects for major policy shifts, and the Washington Post reported that Vladimir Putin sought the cession of all of Donetsk in a recent call with U.S. President Donald Trump.