Israel’s leadership has warmly welcomed the election of Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, in a vote earlier this week, expressing hope for close bilateral cooperation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on his X account: “Congratulations to Sanae Takaichi on assuming the position of Japan’s Prime Minister. I am confident that under your leadership, the strong bond between Japan and Israel will continue to deepen and flourish.
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Sanae Takaichi
(Photo: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Pool Photo via AP)
He added, “Having had the privilege of welcoming the late Prime Minister Abe during his historic visits to Israel, I look forward to welcoming you to Israel and advancing cooperation between our nations as you write a new page in Japan’s history.”
Takaichi, who secured a clear majority in both houses of the Japanese Parliament and is widely seen as a successor to Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022, has previously supported Israel’s right to self‑defense and praised its cyber and missile defense capabilities, according to Israeli officials.
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Takaichi and Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen
(Photo: Israeli Embassy in Japan)
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also offered his congratulations, calling the choice “historic” and saying Israel looked forward to deepening its partnership with Japan across a variety of fields and building a secure and prosperous future for both countries.
Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen, who has maintained close ties with Takaichi, described her as a warm and friendly leader. After a recent meeting, the prime minister released a social media post saying the information she received from Cohen was “priceless.” The ambassador wrote after her victory: “Congratulations to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on your historic appointment as Japan’s first female leader. Israel extends its warm wishes for success as Japan enters this new chapter. We look forward to deepening the friendship and cooperation between Israel and Japan in the years ahead.”
Security analysts in Israel note that Japan, surrounded by the nuclear‑armed states of China, North Korea and Russia, faces challenges similar to Israel’s. They view Takaichi’s outspoken support for Taiwan and her hawkish stance toward China and North Korea, along with her commitment to a U.S.‑aligned security backbone, as opening a new window of opportunity to enhance tech‑security and economic cooperation between the two countries.
Despite regional tensions and ongoing war, Israel‑Japan relations are regarded as close and stable. In recent months, senior Israeli officials, including Sa’ar, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and Economy Minister Nir Barkat, visited Tokyo, and last week, the Israel pavilion at the Osaka expo recorded 1.8 million visitors — three times the original forecast.
Additionally, Israel pointed to growing links beyond diplomacy: Japanese judges sit on the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, where cases involving Israel appear; tourist flights from Israel to Japan are full and have increased to four weekly.
AloJapan.com