Japan's former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi won the country's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election on Saturday, making her likely to become Japan's first female prime minister.

LDP parliamentarians cast 295 votes in the first round of voting, while another 295 votes were allotted to rank-and-file members. Takaichi, who took the lead with 183 votes in the first round, entered the runoff with Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who won 164 votes.

In the runoff voting, the LDP lawmakers cast the same number of votes, but the rank-and-file members' votes were reduced to one for each of the LDP's 47 prefectural chapters. Takaichi secured 185 votes in the round to win over Koizumi, who received 156 votes.

This marks Takaichi's third bid for the party leadership after previous defeats in 2021 and 2024. She first ran for the post in 2021 when then Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had said he would not seek reelection. She contested again last year and won the first round of voting before losing to Shigeru Ishiba in the runoff ballot. Her victory makes it the first time a woman has won the presidency of Japan's long-dominant ruling party.

Following the election, the parliament is set to hold a prime ministerial designation vote in mid-October.

Even though the ruling bloc has failed to secure a majority in both chambers of parliament, the new leader is almost certain to become the country's next prime minister since the LDP remains the largest party.

Sanae Takaichi held a press conference at 6 p.m. on Saturday after the election, pledging to bring change to the party and restore public trust. She said the LDP will hold in-depth discussions on key domestic and international issues, including high living costs, diplomacy, and national security.

Challenges ahead

This year's election comes amid new challenges for the LDP. The number of eligible voting members has dropped to about 915,600, down more than 140,000 from the previous contest.

Complicating matters further, whoever becomes the new party leader must navigate the difficulties of minority governance, mend factional divides and regain public trust.

Years of sluggish growth, rising prices and a sharp depreciation of the yen have weighed heavily on the public, and the LDP's twin defeats have left its leadership under closer scrutiny.

(With input from agencies)