Japanese PM faces fresh pressure amid reported rift with close ally

Japanese media have reported signs of a deepening split within the Japanese government, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said to have mentioned the possibility of resignation amid worsening disagreements with close ally Takaya Imai, a former key aide to the late former prime minister Shinzo Abe.

According to the reports, tensions between the two have been building for some time, beginning with differences over the timing of a possible lower house dissolution and later widening into disputes over foreign policy.

The reports said Takaichi was also blocked over a proposal involving the military, after she allegedly sought to send the Japan Self-Defence Forces to the Strait of Hormuz in a move seen as aimed at pleasing US President Donald Trump. She was reportedly forced to abandon the plan after being sharply challenged by Imai.

On foreign policy, the reports suggested her administration had struggled to find its footing. Although she has reportedly tried to follow Abe’s approach by building a closer relationship with Trump, the reports said she lacked a strong strategic adviser, leaving ties with China and other countries increasingly strained.

Takaichi has also reportedly faced criticism for relying on only a small inner circle rather than listening more broadly, including to advice from officials at the Foreign Ministry, causing coordination problems within government.

The reports added that she had at times referred to personal burdens, including caring for an ill husband, making it harder for her to travel abroad and conduct the kind of active diplomacy pursued by previous prime ministers.

Amid speculation that former prime minister Fumio Kishida has begun quietly re-emerging on the diplomatic stage while the current administration appears increasingly unstable, some commentators are asking whether this could mark the beginning of the end for Japan’s first female prime minister.