Sanae Takaichi assumed office in late 2025 as Japan's first female prime minister and consolidated power through a February 2026 Lower House election that delivered the LDP a postwar-record supermajority. She has since advanced a legislative agenda focused on consumption-tax relief, growth strategy, national security measures, and constitutional preparations, while managing routine crises such as North Korean missile activity. The next LDP leadership contest is scheduled for autumn 2027, and no major institutional or electoral trigger for her removal exists before the end of 2026. Trader consensus at 96 percent reflects this entrenched position and the absence of credible near-term challenges. Even so, abrupt developments such as a sharp drop in approval ratings from a major scandal, health-related incapacity, or an unforeseen snap election could still alter the outlook.