Thu Oct 23 22:10:00 UTC 2025: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Japan Elects Sanae Takaichi as First Female Prime Minister
Tokyo, Japan – Japan’s parliament has elected Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister. The conservative politician, a long-time member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and veteran of Shinzo Abe’s administration, secured the position on Tuesday, weeks after assuming leadership of the LDP.
Takaichi, 64, is considered a hardline conservative advocating for stricter immigration policies and a hawkish stance on China. Often compared to Margaret Thatcher, whom she admires, Takaichi also holds a surprising love for heavy metal music.
Her rise comes as the LDP shifts further to the right, relying on an alliance with a right-wing populist party after losing its previous coalition partner.
Despite breaking the glass ceiling in a country with significant gender inequality – ranking 118th out of 148 nations in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report – Takaichi’s policy priorities are unlikely to focus on gender equality. She maintains traditional views on gender roles, opposes same-sex marriage, and supports male-only succession to the throne.
Born into a modest family in Nara Prefecture, Takaichi worked her way through Kobe University before entering politics. She spent time in the U.S. as a congressional fellow for Democratic Representative Pat Schroeder, later capitalizing on her experience as a television presenter before entering politics.
A self-proclaimed successor to Shinzo Abe’s conservative legacy, Takaichi is known for her modern monetary theory, allowing for deficit spending on key priorities. Her views on Japan’s WWII history are also controversial, including downplaying Japanese aggression and criticizing war crimes trials. She has also drawn criticism for her views on immigration, citing unconfirmed reports of tourists behaving badly as a reason to restrict immigration.
While promising during her campaign to elevate women’s representation in the cabinet to Nordic levels, she appointed only two women in cabinet positions after taking office.
Takaichi has expressed a positive view of former President Donald Trump, who has reciprocated the sentiment. Trump is expected to meet with Takaichi during an upcoming visit to Japan. Experts predict that Takaichi will follow the traditional playbook of showing maximum respect to the president and avoiding public disagreements.
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