The Japanese “Iron Lady”. Sanae Takaichi was appointed Prime Minister of Japan on Tuesday, October 21. She is the first woman to access this position within the fourth economic power in the world.
This veteran political figure, 64, became president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) at the beginning of October, the right-wing conservative party in power almost uninterruptedly since 1955. A title that led her to be elected prime minister this Tuesday by both houses of the Japanese Parliament to succeed Shigeru Ishiba. His appointment will be made official when he meets with Emperor Naruhito.
In two words, Sanae Takaichi is described as conservative and ultra-nationalist. Your political model? The former British Prime Minister with her uncompromising policies, Margaret Thatcher, whom she herself describes as her “political heroine.”
“My goal is to become the iron lady,” she said during her campaign.
Far from a political education, she rises through the ranks
Sanae Takaichi was born in 1961 in Nara Prefecture, in the south-central part of the island. With a father who was an office worker and a mother who was a police officer, nothing predestined her to politics. This car enthusiast and drummer of a heavy metal band began to become interested in them during her studies in the 1980s, at the height of trade tensions between the United States and Japan, our British colleagues from the BBC emphasize.
An interest that took her to the other side of the Pacific: she completed an internship as a parliamentary assistant alongside Colorado Democratic Senator Patricia Schroeder. Despite his Japanese diploma in politics and management, he did not immediately plunge into the depths of politics. A brief career as a television presenter preceded her first candidacy in the parliamentary elections of 1992. Defeated, she did not give up and tried her luck again the following year, successfully.
Sanae Takaichi joined the LDP in 1996 and gradually gained a reputation as one of the party’s most outspoken conservative voices. She rose through the ranks of this right-wing nationalist party and simultaneously entered the doors of the Japanese government for the first time in 2006 as a minister to Shinzō Abe, who became her mentor.
She subsequently held several important positions within successive governments: Minister of Economic Security, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and Minister of the Interior and Communications.
Paradoxical feminist positions
Despite her title as the first prime minister in Japanese history, her mandate does not bode well for feminist positions in a deeply patriarchal country.
Her views on gender place her to the right of an already conservative LDP: she opposes in particular the revision of a 19th century law requiring married couples to share the same surname, usually that of the man, and supports an imperial succession reserved for men.
Before his election, he declared that he wanted a gender balance within his government, comparable “to that of Scandinavian countries.” A promise she did not keep: the new Japanese prime minister ultimately appointed only two women of the 19 members of her executive, according to The Guardian, the same number as in the Ishiba government. Japan ranks 118th out of 148 in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Gender Gap Report, and the Lower House of Parliament is only 15% women.
On the other hand, Sanae Takaichi said that she wants to raise awareness among Japanese people about the difficulties related to women’s health and does not hesitate to talk openly about her symptoms related to menopause.
A firm speech on immigration to straighten out his party
Several challenges await Japan’s new Prime Minister: demographic decline, a sluggish economy and growing geopolitical tensions. Regarding the economy, the sexagenarian wants to relaunch the controversial line of her mentor, Shinzo Abe, assassinated last July. He wants to address “the rise in prices as a priority” and support purchasing power through an increase in public spending. A policy, however, contradictory to the liberal line defended by Margaret Thatcher.
Sanae Takaichi also focused his campaign on national defense, security and the immigration issue. Takes strong stances on immigration and foreign tourists. It calls, in particular, for the rules regarding the purchase of real estate to be tightened and wants to “reconsider policies that allow the entry into the territory of people of completely different cultures and origins.”
Immigration has become one of the key issues in the Liberal Democrat leadership race. The party needed a figure capable of standing up to the new far-right nationalist party Sanseito, which had won over some of its voters.
The LDP, marred by a financial scandal, has lost its majority in both houses of Parliament in recent months. His traditional ally, the centrist Komeito party, slammed the door to his coalition in force since 1999, uncomfortable with the scandal and the conservative views of the new Prime Minister.
“I don’t want to be labeled as a hardline conservative, I’m more of a moderate conservative now that all these parties have appeared,” she declared last month, trying to save the alliance. But that was not enough. To be elected chief executive, Sanae Takaichi allied herself with the Japanese Innovation Party (Ishin), a center-right reformist group.
“Sanae Takaichi’s ability to remain in power will really depend on his ability to be flexible and go from a candidate who heavily emphasized his conservatism to a Prime Minister who will have to make a lot of compromises, particularly with the current configuration of Parliament,” Arnaud Grivaud, a professor at the University of the Cité in Paris, explains to RFI.
China, the United States… What relationships?
At the international level, this former Minister of Economic Security has, in the past, been a virulent critic of China and its military strengthening in the Asia-Pacific region. He provided support to Taiwan and said during a visit in April that it was “crucial” to strengthen security cooperation between Taipei and Tokyo.
But he has recently softened his rhetoric, emphasizing the need to consider China an “important neighbor.” she is also Last week he prudently refrained from going to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors the Japanese war dead, a symbol to China of Japan’s militaristic past.
In addition to the relationship with the neighboring country, tensions could arise with the White House. The conservative figure recently said he would not hesitate to seek renegotiation of tariffs with the United States if parts of the agreement were “unfair or harmful” to his country, before moderating his stance somewhat. However, the still unclear outlines of Japan’s planned $550 billion in investments as part of its trade deal with Washington could create friction.
But, according to observers cited by RFI, the Prime Minister will initially try to maintain a “warm” relationship with Donald Trump, who will visit Japan next week. She herself declared this Tuesday that she wanted “frank discussions” with the American president.
Source: BFM TV
