Japan: Lower house appoints ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi first woman PM

Takaichi becomes Japan’s first PM

Japan's lower house of parliament on Tuesday appointed the conservative China critic Sanae Takaichi as the country's first woman prime minister.

The 64-year-old, appointed unexpectedly by majority in a first round of voting, will formally take office after meeting the emperor later Tuesday.

Sanae Takaichi, a staunch conservative and admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, has officially become Japan’s first woman prime minister, marking a historic milestone in a country long dominated by male leaders. At 64, she is Japan’s fifth prime minister in just five years, taking office after forging a last-minute coalition deal that secured parliamentary approval.

While her rise is being celebrated as a symbolic breakthrough for women in politics, analysts caution that it does not necessarily signal a feminist victory. Takaichi has built her career around hardline positions on defence, economic security, and immigration, rather than championing gender equality.

Takaichi, who won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership earlier this month, has positioned herself as a tough conservative focused on stabilising the party amid declining voter support. Inflation and a slush fund scandal had eroded confidence in the LDP, while anti-immigration parties like Sanseito gained traction. To recapture these voters, she has emphasised strict immigration controls and tighter rules for foreign tourists, both key issues in the leadership race.

A former economic security minister, Takaichi has been a vocal critic of China and its military build-up in the Asia-Pacific. She has regularly visited the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japan’s war dead including convicted war criminals, though last week she avoided a festival at the shrine, signaling a more cautious approach to sensitive diplomatic issues.

Nicknamed “Iron Lady 2.0,” Takaichi once played drums in a college heavy metal band and looks to Thatcher as her political role model. Experts note that despite her historic election, she has shown little interest in challenging patriarchal norms. She opposes revising a 19th-century law requiring married couples to share a surname, which overwhelmingly pressures women to adopt their husband’s name. Nevertheless, she pledged during her campaign to improve the gender balance in her cabinet to “Nordic” levels, pointing to a broader, symbolic effort to elevate women in governance.

Takaichi enjoys strong support within the conservative wing of the LDP and among followers of the late Shinzo Abe. She advocates aggressive monetary easing and fiscal spending consistent with Abe’s “Abenomics” policies. She has also voiced concerns about crime and the economic influence of foreigners in Japan, signalling a nationalist approach intended to regain voters lost to anti-immigration parties.

On foreign trade, Takaichi stated she would not hesitate to renegotiate U.S. agreements perceived as harmful or unfair to Japan. Analysts expect her government to focus on defence, economic security, and nationalist policies while balancing the symbolic significance of having a female leader in a traditionally male-dominated political landscape.