Why Japan’s Takaichi is already facing resistance inside her own party

Observers say the prime minister’s assertive style and policy agenda have caused unease among the Liberal Democratic Party’s old guard4-MIN READ4-MIN1 ListenPublished: 9:30am, 21 Apr 2026Updated: 9:40am, 21 Apr 2026Reports of friction inside Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) suggest Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s biggest political challenge may now lie not with the opposition, but within her own party.Despite her strong public standing after February’s general election, reports have grown louder that Takaichi is clashing with the LDP’s influential old guard, notably former prime minister Taro Aso.Japanese tabloids, which are often more willing than the mainstream press to air insider grumbling, have reported complaints from within the party that Takaichi is acting “like a queen” and that senior figures who assumed they would be able to control her after she took power have been proved wrong.The veteran male politicians who have long set the party’s agenda are also said to be unhappy with Takaichi’s plan to suspend the 8 per cent consumption tax for the next two years to combat inflation, as well as with what critics inside the party see as overly fawning performances in meetings with US President Donald Trump in Tokyo and Washington.02:31Japanese public backs a female emperor while Takaichi pushes to expand pool of male heirsJapanese public backs a female emperor while Takaichi pushes to expand pool of male heirs“There has been a cleavage within the party based on factional lines,” said Go Ito, a professor of international relations at Tokyo’s Meiji University.