On Saturday, Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) elected Sanae Takaichi as its first female leader. She defeated Shinjiro Koizumi, the son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, in a run-off vote. Takaichi is now expected to be voted in as prime minister on October 15, replacing Shigeru Ishiba. So, what kind of leader will Japan be getting? Here are 10 things to know about Sanae Takaichi.
1. Sanae Takaichi Didn’t Come From a Political Family
Since World War II, most Japanese prime ministers have been scions of political family dynasties. Politics, though, played no part in Takaichi’s upbringing. Her mother was an officer for the Nara Prefectural Police and her father worked in the automobile industry at a company affiliated with Toyota.
2. Finances Dictated Her University Choice
After graduating from Nara Prefectural Unebi High School, Takaichi reportedly could have chosen between two prominent private universities: Keio or Waseda. In the end, she went for neither as, according to a memoir she wrote, her parents wanted to save the tuition money for her younger brother. Instead, she studied business management at Kobe University.
3. She’s a Big Heavy Metal Fan
Takaichi, who played drums in a heavy metal band during her student days, is known to be a fan of groups like Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. She also loves X Japan. A video of her belting out the song “Rusty Nail” from a TV karaoke show in 2016 went viral recently. Other interests include motorbikes and the Hanshin Tigers.
4. Takaichi Spent Two Years in the States
In 1984, Takaichi entered the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management. Three years later, she was sent to Washington DC as part of the program. She worked for Democratic Party US Representative Pat Schroeder as a congressional fellow. Returning to Japan in 1989, she wrote a book about her experience in the US Congress.
5. She Hosted a TV Show with Renho Saito
That same year, Takaichi joined TV Asahi as an anchor. She co-hosted an information variety show that covered a wide range of topics, from politics to paranormal phenomena, titled Kodawari TV Pre☆Stage alongside Renho Saito, who last year ran in the 2024 Tokyo gubernatorial election. The pair reportedly rarely spoke off-air.
6. An Old Photo Got Her Into Trouble
In 2011, Takaichi posed for a photo alongside Kazunari Yamada, head of the National Socialist Japanese Workers’ Party, who wrote on a blog about his admiration for Adolf Hitler and praised the September 11 terrorist attacks. Takaichi’s office confirmed the photo was genuine, but said she was unaware of his extremist views at the time.
7. Margaret Thatcher Was Her Hero
Takaichi has cited Margaret Thatcher, the United Kingdom’s first female prime minister, as a source of inspiration. She was impressed with her strong convictions and “womanly warmth.” The pair reportedly met at a symposium not long before Thatcher’s death in 2013. A similarly divisive figure, Takaichi has been dubbed Japan’s “Iron Lady.”
8. Takaichi Is No Feminist
Despite becoming the first ever female to lead the LDP, Takaichi is not seen as a champion of women’s rights. She is opposed to the idea of fufu bessei, or separate surnames for married couples, as she feels it goes against tradition. This is despite the fact that she has been married twice and still uses her maiden name.
9. She’s a Traditionalist
A staunch conservative, Takaichi also opposes same-sex marriage and supports Japan’s traditional, male-only imperial succession laws, which dictate that the imperial throne can only be inherited by a male member of the imperial lineage. “I feel extremely strongly about whether it would be right for our generation to destroy this,” she said in 2021.
10. Abe Was Her Mentor
A protégé of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi, like her mentor, believes Japanese atrocities during World War II have been overstated and that the country’s pacifist Constitution should be amended. She holds hawkish views on China and, while campaigning, seized on the growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the country, criticizing foreigners for kicking deer in Nara.
Related Posts