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原田英語の時事英語ジュニア｜英語ニュース ワークシート（高校生レベル）

Class ____ No. ____ Name ____________________

高市早苗氏が日本初の女性首相に　首相はどうやって選ばれる？

How Japan Chose Its First Female Prime Minister

音声・ゲームはこちらから

1Japan's Diet elected Sanae Takaichi as prime minister on October 21, 2025, making her the first woman to hold the office. Takaichi, then 64 and from Nara Prefecture, became the country's 104th prime minister. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1993.

2Earlier that month, on October 4, Takaichi had won the race to lead the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The party held the race after Shigeru Ishiba said in September that he would step down. Ishiba and his cabinet resigned on the day of the vote.

3Under Japan's system, both houses of the Diet vote to choose the prime minister. To win in the first round, a candidate needs a majority of the votes cast. In the 465-seat lower house, that meant 233 votes, and Takaichi received 237. Yoshihiko Noda, then the leader of the largest opposition party, came second with 149.

4The upper house vote took two rounds. In the first round, Takaichi led with 123 votes, one short of the 124 she needed. The chamber then held a runoff between the top two, its first in 13 years, and Takaichi won.

5Earlier in October, Komeito, the LDP's long-time coalition partner, had left the government. The LDP then signed a coalition agreement with the Japan Innovation Party on October 20, the day before the vote. The Japan Innovation Party did not take any cabinet posts. Takaichi named Toshimitsu Motegi as foreign minister and Shinjiro Koizumi as defense minister.

6After a general election on February 8, 2026, the Diet chose Takaichi as prime minister again on February 18. That made her Japan's 105th prime minister.

Words　単語

officeA1名（公的な）地位、職an important job, especially in a government
step downA1熟（役職を）退くto leave an important job by your own choice
cabinetB2名内閣the group of top ministers who run the government
resignedB2動辞職したleft a job by choice
candidateB2名候補者a person who wants to be chosen in an election
opposition partyB1名野党a political group that is not in the government
majorityB1名過半数more than half of all the votes
runoff外名決選投票a second vote between the top two people
coalitionB2名連立（複数の政党が組んで政権をつくること）two or more groups working together to run a government
postA1名地位、ポストan official job in a group or government

単語のレベル：CEFR-J（『CEFR-J Wordlist Version 1.6』 東京外国語大学投野由紀夫研究室. （URL: https://www.cefr-j.org/download.html より 2026年8月ダウンロード））

1. Reading Quiz　本文の内容に合うものを選ぼう

  1. When did Takaichi win the race to lead the Liberal Democratic Party?

    A. On October 4, 2025B. On October 21, 2025C. On February 8, 2026D. On February 18, 2026

  2. How many votes did a candidate need to win in the first round of the lower house vote?

    A. 123B. 465C. 233D. 149

  3. Why was there a runoff in the upper house?

    A. The votes were lost.B. No candidate won a majority in the first round.C. Two candidates had the same number of votes.D. The lower house asked for it.

  4. How long had it been since the upper house's last runoff?

    A. One yearB. 26 yearsC. 104 yearsD. 13 years

  5. What happened on February 18, 2026?

    A. The Diet chose Takaichi as prime minister again.B. Takaichi resigned.C. The upper house was closed.D. A general election was held.

2. True or False　正しければ T、違っていれば F

  1. (     ) Takaichi is the first woman to be Japan's prime minister.

  2. (     ) Only the lower house votes to choose the prime minister.

  3. (     ) Noda received 149 votes in the lower house.

  4. (     ) Komeito was the LDP's coalition partner at the time of the vote.

3. Fill in the Blanks　下の語から選んで空らんをうめよう（形を変えずに）

postsofficecandidaterunoffcoalitioncabinet

  1. To win in the first round, a _____ needs a majority of the votes cast.

  2. Japan's Diet elected Sanae Takaichi as prime minister on October 21, 2025, making her the first woman to hold the _____.

  3. The chamber then held a _____ between the top two, its first in 13 years, and Takaichi won.

  4. The Japan Innovation Party did not take any cabinet _____.

  5. Earlier in October, Komeito, the LDP's long-time _____ partner, had left the government.

  6. Ishiba and his _____ resigned on the day of the vote.

4. Word Order　語を並べかえて正しい文にしよう

  1. ( two / upper / vote / house / took / rounds / The ) .

  2. ( Innovation / not / did / The / take / Party / cabinet / Japan / posts / any ) .

  3. ( 105th / prime / Japan's / her / made / minister / That ) .

5. Think and Write　英語で答えてみよう

  1. Japan had no female prime minister until 2025. Why do you think it took so long?（日本では2025年まで女性の首相がいませんでした。なぜこれほど時間がかかったのだと思いますか？）

  2. If you could ask the prime minister one question, what would it be?（もし首相に1つ質問できるとしたら、何を聞きますか？）

Answers　解答

1. (1) A　(2) C　(3) B　(4) D　(5) A

2. (1) T　(2) F　(3) T　(4) F

3. (1) candidate　(2) office　(3) runoff　(4) posts　(5) coalition　(6) cabinet

4.

  1. The upper house vote took two rounds.
  2. The Japan Innovation Party did not take any cabinet posts.
  3. That made her Japan's 105th prime minister.

全文訳

1日本の国会は2025年10月21日、高市早苗氏を首相に選びました。女性が首相の座に就くのは初めてです。当時64歳で奈良県出身の高市氏は、第104代の首相となりました。高市氏が初めて衆議院議員に当選したのは1993年です。

2同じ月の10月4日、高市氏は自由民主党の総裁選挙に勝っていました。この総裁選は、石破茂氏が9月に退任を表明したことを受けて行われました。石破内閣は、国会で投票が行われたその日に総辞職しました。

3日本のしくみでは、首相は国会の両院の投票で選ばれます。1回目の投票で勝つには、投じられた票の過半数が必要です。465議席の衆議院ではその数は233票で、高市氏は237票を得ました。当時の野党第1党の代表だった野田佳彦氏は、149票で2位でした。

4参議院の投票は2回にわたりました。1回目の投票で高市氏は123票と1位でしたが、必要な124票に1票足りませんでした。そこで上位2人による決選投票が13年ぶりに行われ、高市氏が勝ちました。

510月の初めには、自民党と長く連立を組んできた公明党が政権から離れていました。そこで自民党は、投票の前日の10月20日に日本維新の会と連立の合意書に署名しました。日本維新の会は、大臣のポストには就きませんでした。高市氏は、茂木敏充氏を外務大臣に、小泉進次郎氏を防衛大臣に起用しました。

62026年2月8日の総選挙のあと、国会は2月18日に再び高市氏を首相に選びました。これにより、高市氏は第105代の首相となりました。

文法ポイント：分詞構文（, making ～）

文のあとに , ～ing を続けて「その結果～となった」を表す。本文の Japan's Diet elected Sanae Takaichi as prime minister ..., making her the first woman to hold the office. がその例。make + 人 + 名詞で「人を～にする」。

出典：国会会議録検索システム（衆議院本会議）、参議院、首相官邸、Euronews（Yahoo News 転載）、Jiji Press（Adnkronos 転載） ほか（記事は原田英語の時事英語ジュニアのオリジナル）｜https://www.haradaeigo.com/jijieigo-junior/news/2025-10-21-japan-first-female-prime-minister/