Takaichi sanae, Japan's first female prime minister, got into big trouble within two days of taking office. On October 21, 2025, she was officially elected as the 104th Prime Minister through parliamentary elections, and the cabinet began to operate the next morning. Who knows, on the morning of 22nd, North Korea suddenly launched ballistic missiles, which directly disturbed the new government.
Takashi Saami originally planned to go to work normally, but when the information came, she rushed to the Prime Minister's official residence an hour and a half early. The missile was launched from the east coast of North Korea and flew about several hundred kilometers into the Sea of Japan, missing Japan's territorial waters or exclusive economic zone. Japan's Ministry of Defense used radar to keep a close eye on the entire process to confirm that there was no direct threat, but this was still stressful enough.
North Korea has tested missiles frequently in recent years. This year is the fifth such move. The Japanese government immediately protested through diplomatic channels and shared intelligence with South Korea. The South Korean military also monitored and said the missile trajectory was similar to before, but stressed the need to strengthen vigilance. Takashi Zaimu ordered all departments to comprehensively collect intelligence and analyze the type of missile to see if it was solid fuel. That type of technology has rapid progress and short launch preparation time.
Japan's Self-Defense Force raised its alert level and inspected coastal equipment. The fisheries department also confirmed that there was no ship accident, but some places issued temporary warnings to prevent debris or something. This happened on the day when the cabinet was launched, which was tantamount to giving sanae takaichi a duel. She had to switch to crisis mode immediately. Originally, the cabinet meeting was going to talk about the economy, but it turned to security issues.
Japanese media reported that sanae takaichi called officials such as Minoru Kihara in his official residence to hold a meeting to review satellite images and reports, and judged that the missile did not carry a nuclear warhead, but it still had to guard against upgrading. The government issued a statement saying that this violated UN resolutions and called on the international community to take care of it together. Through people's attention on TV, many northern residents remembered the previous alarm experience of missiles flying by, and the stock market also shook a little, but it soon stabilized.
The government will do everything to protect the people, crisis management is the cabinet's top priority, to respond faster and more vigilantly. She stressed that Japan-US-Korea cooperation has been in place, this is sound, but the actual pressure is not small. The time for North Korea to launch missiles is too coincidental, just the new prime minister to take office, analyzing that this is the response to the regional situation, especially when the U.S. and South Korea strengthen the alliance. In the past few months, North Korea has tested several times, with this mobile launch vehicle, it is difficult to track, Japan has to rely on Zeus Shield system and Patriot missiles to defend.
The team also assessed the economic impact, Japan relied on imported energy, maritime security can not get out of the hole, she ordered to check the supply chain, to prevent the fluctuation of prices. This incident allowed the cabinet to accelerate the meltdown, the self-government party and the self-government union, had a small difference in defence policy, now have to rush to unite. the self-government will support to increase the budget, but some conservatives within the self-government party want to be more radical.
The missile issue had just been dealt with, and Takashi had to prepare for Trump's visit to Japan. The visit to Japan is scheduled to take place from October 27 to 29, 2025, just five days after the cabinet was launched. U.S. President Trump comes in an official capacity. His itinerary includes meeting with Emperor Naruhito, and then discussing summit matters with Takashi Hayami on the 28th.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara held a press conference on the 22nd and announced that this was extremely important to strengthening the Japan-US alliance. The topics of the talks will definitely be inseparable from the situation in North Korea and the need for Japan to increase defense spending in the Japan-US trade agreement. Trump used to mention this, saying that Japan had to pay more to share the security costs.
Takaichi sanae has to convey Japan's position and promote the deepening of the alliance, but it also has to balance domestic public opinion. Some media said that she planned to purchase American pickup trucks as a commitment to investment in the United States and ease trade friction. Trump's trip was the first big diplomacy since sanae takaichi took office. Her team worked overtime to prepare documents since the missile incident to ensure coverage of key points.
The U.S. on the surface cooperates with Japan and actually wants to pull Japan into its northeastern Asia layout. In the talks, he had to exchange missile intelligence opinions and talk about the improvement of Japan's defense capabilities.
After Trump's visit, the diplomatic schedule of the high market was full.The day before the visit, on October 26, she had to fly to Malaysia to attend the ASEAN Summit, which was her first show a week after she took office.
After the summit, from October 31st to November 1st, I went to South Korea for the APEC meeting. There, she has to establish contact with leaders of various countries, express Japan's goal of returning to the center of the world, and promote mutual trust. The ASEAN summit may talk about regional cooperation, and North Korean missiles will definitely become a topic. Takaichi sanae has to seek support.
At the Korean conference, trade and security issues intertwined, she had to balance relations with South Korea, although she had previously said that she liked Korean seaweed and television shows, but there were reservations to South Korea in policy. In the internal affairs, the cabinet of the high city focused on the economy, the first meeting of the 21st evening on the instruction to develop a comprehensive plan, to deal with the rise of prices, to cooperate with the ruling party, and also cross-party consultations. The cabinet is the self-government party and the New Victory union, in the two houses of the House of Representatives no more than half, through the fiscal year 2025 supplement budget to the opposition.
This increases the difficulty, the differences within the self-government party, the Vichy will have their own arguments, and the high market must coordinate well. After the missile and visitor events, she has to face the increase in defense costs and trade negotiations challenges, balancing foreign affairs and domestic affairs is not easy.
The president of the Democratic Party elected her victorious, emphasizing the strength of Japan, the revision of security documents. After Trump was elected, the US-Japanese relations were heated again, but the North Korean missiles were always a mess. The Japanese government had to continue to monitor and the intelligence sharing mechanism was seamless.
The missile incident made Takaichi Sanae realize that diplomacy must be fully prepared, and she plans to raise this matter at international conferences to attract allies. Domestic public opinion responded to her okay, but some people called for more defense money. Sanae Takaichi's leadership style is data-driven and avoids impulsiveness, which helps a lot in a crisis.
But within the coalition government, self-government and renewal in the economic scale have to melt together, the budget plan at the end of the year is a test. The launch of North Korea is considered a regular exercise, but the timing is sensitive, increasing Northeast Asian tensions. The Japanese people are worried about escalating, and the government must be stable. The high market must talk about North Korea policy in the Trump meeting, and Trump may reiterate its hard stance. Japan must also turn around with China, but the high market policy is conservative.
Gao Shi's cabinet encountered missiles at the beginning, and Trump's visit to Japan followed closely. This reflects the complexity of Northeast Asia, with Japan sandwiched in the middle. Her policies are tough, but they have to be balanced. In the advancement of economic plans, budget negotiation is the key point. The missile incident strengthened intelligence cooperation, and Japan, South Korea and the United States joined forces. When Trump talks or talks about investment, Japan has to make concessions. Summit diplomacy is the first show in the city, and opportunities must be seized.
The support rate is the basis, but the public opinion is easy to change. The challenge of the high market is domestic diplomacy, but the opportunity is also great. Japanese media pay attention to her performance, the international community looks at the Japanese-American trends. North Korea's behavior violates the resolution, gets international control. The overall situation, the tension in the pursuit of stability, the high city cabinet has to step by step.