00:00Takaichi Sanae, Japan's self-declared Iron Lady, is on the way to the political top.
00:08Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party declared her its next leader on Saturday.
00:12And that means she will likely become the first woman to serve as Japan's Prime Minister.
00:17Takaichi's mentor, the late Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, was a notable supporter of Taiwan,
00:23once saying, a threat to Taiwan is a threat to Japan.
00:26The new LDP leader has made her stance explicit, telling the Hudson Institute that she wants dialogue with Chinese leaders,
00:33that Taiwan's status quo shouldn't be changed by force, and that issues around Taiwan must be resolved peacefully.
00:40Takaichi is well known for her conservative view on domestic policy,
00:44but analysts are also looking at how her foreign policy, including her stance on Taiwan, might shape the region.
00:50She has met with Taiwan's leaders. She has visited Taiwan.
00:55She has hosted Taiwanese Foreign Minister within Japan.
00:58She's talked about a quasi-security alliance between Japan, Taiwan, India, and Australia.
01:04This perhaps has an increased impetus, as the U.S. seems more and more like an unreliable partner under the current U.S. administration.
01:12So she may look set to pursue this. However, as Japan also recalibrates its relationship with China,
01:20and as the U.S. does so as well, the scope with which she can pursue that kind of agreement remains to be seen.
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