TOKYO, JAPAN – Following her election as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) earlier this month, on Tuesday, Japan’s Diet voted to approve Sanae Takaichi as its first female prime minister. The election follows former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation after struggling to maintain a leading majority government with the LDP over the last year.
A protégé of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi’s election is a symbol of hope with the LDP to regain public support, including addressing the rising cost of living and security policy. Takaichi’s conservatism and hawkish view of China could be helpful to reinforce strong U.S.-Japan diplomatic relations. While initial reports indicated skepticism over the new U.S.-Japan trade agreement, Takaichi has kept the lead trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, in her Cabinet – a sign that Japan will continue implementing the agreement as is.
“USA Rice looks forward to working with Prime Minister Takaichi’s government to continue implementing the new trade agreement,” said USA Rice President & CEO Peter Bachmann. “We appreciate the longstanding relationship with Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries and will continue our close cooperation to maximize opportunities for U.S. rice farmers and exporters while importers meet the country’s World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments.”
In July, President Donald Trump and former Prime Minister Ishiba announced the new trade agreement that would allow for additional duty-free sales of U.S. rice within Japan’s WTO commitments (see USA Rice Daily, July 23, 2025). Trump and Prime Minister Takaichi are planning to meet during Trump’s visit to Japan early next week just before a host of multilateral meetings in Malaysia and South Korea. Economic relations, trade, and security are all likely to be discussed.
USA Rice has been active in the Japanese market promoting the high quality and reliability of U.S. rice, most recently with a visit earlier this month with USDA Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Under Secretary Luke Lindberg (see USA Rice Daily, October 6, 2025).