Japan's ruling conservative party has elected Sanae Takaichi as its new leader, positioning the 64-year-old to be Japan's first female prime minister. If confirmed as prime minister, one of Takaichi's key challenges will be uniting the party after a turbulent few years, which saw it rocked by scandals and internal conflicts. Takaichi has been a long-time admirer of Britain's first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. "But like Thatcher she's not much of a healer. She will likely be confirmed by parliament, although not automatically like her predecessors, because the ruling party is in a much weaker position now, having lost its majority in both houses.