Japan’s parliament elected Sanae Takaichi as the nation’s prime minister on Tuesday, a landmark moment that makes her the first woman in modern history to hold the office. The 64-year-old staunch conservative, a protégé of the late Shinzo Abe, secured a clear majority with 237 votes in the powerful Lower House and 125 in the Upper House. Her ascension follows the resignation of her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, whose brief tenure collapsed under the weight of plunging ratings, major electoral losses, and a damaging fundraising scandal that has eroded public trust in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
However, Takaichi’s historic victory is not a straightforward progressive triumph. She takes the helm of the world’s fourth-largest economy at a moment of profound uncertainty. Domestically, she confronts soaring inflation, a frustrated public, and a fractured political landscape that forced her into a new, fragile, right-leaning coalition. Internationally, her hawkish nationalism complicates delicate ties with South Korea and China. Furthermore, her first major test arrives in just one week: a high-stakes meeting with an unpredictable “America First” president, Donald Trump, who is scheduled to visit Tokyo. Takaichi, an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, must now prove if her “Iron Lady” resolve is enough to navigate the immense challenges ahead.
A Milestone Mired in Scepticism
The election of Japan’s first female prime minister is a seismic event in a country that consistently ranks low in global gender equality metrics. Japan placed 118th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, with women comprising less than 16% of lawmakers in the lower house.
Despite this milestone, many women and progressives remain deeply sceptical. Critics point to Takaichi’s own hard-line conservative record as evidence that her presence will not necessarily advance women’s causes. Takaichi actively opposes same-sex marriage and has resisted a growing movement to allow married women to keep their maiden surnames, a policy requiring couples to share a single surname.
Jeff Kingston, a professor of Asian studies at Temple University’s Japan campus, noted the difficulty in framing this as a truly historic moment for female empowerment, citing Takaichi’s “rather poor track record on empowering women.” This sentiment is echoed by younger generations. Ayda Ogura, a 21-year-old student, observed that while many celebrate the first female prime minister, Takaichi’s traditional political beliefs seem to “perpetuate the patriarchal system” rather than create structural change.
Even prominent feminist author Chizuko Ueno remarked that the prospect of a Takaichi premiership “doesn’t make me happy,” comparing her to Thatcher, whose leadership, Ueno notes, “British feminists… have no illusions about.” Ironically, Takaichi herself used her maiden name professionally for years while married, only for her husband, a former lawmaker, to adopt her surname when they remarried in 2021—a legal manoeuvre aligned with legislation she herself had proposed.
The Path to Power: A New Coalition and a Conservative Legacy
Takaichi’s rise to the premiership was anything but guaranteed, reflecting the deep crisis within the LDP. The party, which has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for seven decades, is reeling. Under Ishiba, the LDP lost its majority in the lower house for the first time in 15 years and subsequently lost its upper house majority in July, driven by public fury over a political “slush fund” scandal.
After winning the LDP leadership race earlier this month, Takaichi’s path was immediately blocked. The LDP’s centrist coalition partner of 26 years, the Komeito party, terminated the alliance, disapproving of her conservative turn. This unprecedented move left the LDP scrambling and stripped Takaichi of a clear parliamentary majority.
To secure her victory, the LDP struck a last-minute deal on Monday with the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), also known as Ishin. This Osaka-based, right-leaning opposition party agreed to form a new coalition, effectively ensuring Takaichi had the votes. Consequently, Takaichi emerges as a “diminished leader from the get-go,” heading a fragile government that pulls Japanese politics even further to the right.
This hard-right identity is central to Takaichi’s political brand. She is an avowed nationalist and a loyal protégé of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, who was assassinated in 2022. Takaichi has laid claim to his conservative legacy, and her election signals a rightward turn for an LDP desperate to win back disillusioned voters who had gravitated towards newer, far-right parties.
An ‘Iron Lady’ from Nara: An Unconventional Rise
Despite her traditionalist politics, Takaichi’s personal background is unconventional for Japan’s elite-dominated political world. She does not come from a political dynasty. Born in Nara, a city known for its ancient temples and wild deer, her father worked at a car parts company and her mother was a police officer.
Her youth was marked by interests that defy her stiff political persona: she was a motorcycle enthusiast and played the drums in a heavy metal band, citing groups like Iron Maiden and Deep Purple as idols. In her 2024 biography, her mother was quoted as telling her to be a “crimson rose”—to “retain feminine grace while possessing the thorns to confront wrongdoing.”
After graduating from Kobe University, she attended the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, a famed training ground for politicians. She then interned for U.S. Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder, a Colorado Democrat and ardent feminist—a stark contrast to Takaichi’s own future politics. Upon returning to Japan, she worked as a TV commentator before winning a parliament seat in 1993. Her career has been a remarkable rise, culminating in her new role as the flag-bearer for Japan’s nationalist ideals.
Confronting ‘Sanaenomics’: A High-Stakes Economic Gamble
Takaichi inherits an economy beset by woes. Public anger is high over the rising cost of living, stagnant wages, and sky-high inflation. A persistent rice shortage, for example, has caused record prices for the national staple. Her first and most immediate challenge will be to address this economic malaise.
Her proposed solution, dubbed “Sanaenomics” by some, is a direct continuation of her mentor’s “Abenomics” programme. She advocates for aggressive fiscal stimulus, including big spending and tax cuts, combined with a continuation of loose monetary policies. In her victory speech, Takaichi underlined her commitment, stating, “I myself will throw out the term ‘work-life balance.’ I will work and work and work and work and work.”
This approach has already prompted a “Takaichi trade” on the stock market. Hopes for a new wave of fiscal stimulus sent Japan’s Nikkei stock exchange closing at an all-time high for the second consecutive day on Tuesday. However, this optimism is tempered by deep investor unease. Japan’s national debt load already heavily outweighs its annual output, and many worry the government cannot afford more spending.
In a move that reinforces her economic and political direction, Takaichi has made another historic appointment. Satsuki Katayama, a former finance ministry official and another Abe protégé, has been named finance minister—the first woman in Japan’s history to hold the post. Takaichi also appointed two other women to her Cabinet, matching the previous government’s total.
A Hawkish Stance on the Global Stage
In her first news conference, Takaichi vowed to “protect Japan’s national interests at all costs through diplomacy and security.” This signals a hard pivot on foreign policy. Takaichi is a known hawk, advocating for tougher immigration policies and supporting a revision of Japan’s pacifist postwar constitution to unfetter its military.
Like Abe, she is a regular visitor to the Yasukuni Shrine, a controversial site that honours Japan’s war dead, including convicted war criminals. These visits, along with her historical revisionism that minimises Japan’s wartime atrocities, consistently spark anger in neighbouring South Korea and China—both vital trade partners.
South Korea, which had only just begun to mend its delicate relationship with Tokyo, responded with a lukewarm promise to cooperate with the “new Cabinet,” without naming Takaichi. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was similarly cool, stating it had “noted the election results.” Takaichi’s “Japan First” approach, which includes a pledge to crack down on “rule-breaking foreigners,” is set to increase regional tensions.
An Immediate Trial by Fire: The Trump Visit
Takaichi has no time to settle in. Her most pressing challenge lands next week with the arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump, who is making his first trip to Asia since returning to office. A visit from the U.S. president is a monumental event for any new prime minister, but it is acutely stressful with an unpredictable leader like Trump.
The U.S.-Japan alliance, the cornerstone of Tokyo’s security for seven decades, has been strained. Trump has previously questioned the value of the security treaty and suggested Japan should pay significantly more for the presence of American troops. Takaichi must navigate these demands while leading a new, weakened minority government.
Analysts note that Takaichi and Trump share an “America First” and “Japan First” populist worldview and a mutual affinity for Shinzo Abe, which may serve as an icebreaker. However, Takaichi faces a herculean task. She must find a way to sustain the alliance, manage demands that may collide with her “Japan First” promises—such as a $550 billion investment plan under the U.S.-Japan trade deal—and do it all with just three business days to prepare.
A New Chapter, A Harder Line
Sanae Takaichi’s election is a moment of profound contradiction. She has, without question, shattered Japan’s ultimate political glass ceiling, achieving a “first” that has eluded generations of women. Yet, her victory was secured not by a progressive wave, but by a hard-right pivot, a backlash against the establishment, and a new coalition that reinforces her nationalist, conservative credentials.
She begins her term with a fractured party, a public angry over scandals and prices, and an immediate, high-stakes diplomatic test from her most important ally. The “Iron Lady” of Nara must now prove she can govern. In my view, Takaichi’s premiership represents the ultimate paradox: a woman who broke the highest glass ceiling only to reinforce the conservative framework that built it. Her success will be measured not by her gender, but by whether her “Japan First” gamble can navigate the immense pressures from both an unpredictable ally in Washington and an increasingly assertive neighbour in Beijing.
FAQ
Sanae Takaichi is a staunchly conservative politician, a protégé of the late Shinzo Abe, and the leader of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). On 21 October 2025, parliament elected her as Japan’s first-ever female prime minister.
Although her election is a historic milestone, many progressives and women are sceptical. Takaichi holds conservative social views, including opposition to same-sex marriage and opposition to allowing married women to retain their maiden surnames.
Shigeru Ishiba resigned after a brief term marked by plunging approval ratings, major electoral losses for the LDP in both houses of parliament, and public anger over a damaging party fundraising (slush fund) scandal.
After the LDP’s long-time coalition partner, Komeito, quit, Takaichi lost her majority. The LDP struck a last-minute deal with the right-leaning Japan Innovation Party (Ishin) to form a new, fragile coalition, which gave her the votes to win.
Her policy, “Sanaenomics,” is a continuation of Shinzo Abe’s “Abenomics.” It advocates for aggressive fiscal stimulus, increased government spending, and tax cuts, all supported by loose monetary policies.
