Who is Sanae Takaichi? Japan set to get its first-ever woman prime minister

Sanae Takaichi won Japan's ruling party leadership on Saturday, defeating male rivals; she is set to become Japan's first female prime minister, following in her idol Margaret Thatcher's footsteps

Sanae Takaichi won Japan’s ruling party leadership race on Saturday, outpacing her male competitors and setting the stage to become the nation’s first female prime minister, following in the footsteps of her idol, Margaret Thatcher.

 

Takaichi faces the challenge of uniting the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), regaining public trust, and appealing to younger voters who are increasingly drawn to smaller populist parties amid the cost-of-living crunch and a surge in foreign residents, Bloomberg reported.

 

Soon after being elected LDP leader, Takaichi addressed party lawmakers with a clear message on the work ahead. “Rather than feeling happy right now, I am thinking about the hardships that are yet to come. There is a mountain of things that we must accomplish together,” she said. “I would like to see you work like horses. I’m going to abandon the phrase ‘work-life balance."

 

 

Takaichi secured her win in a run-off against political scion Shinjiro Koizumi, receiving 185 votes to his 156. She also led in the first round among the party’s roughly 916,000 rank-and-file members.

 

She is expected to face a parliamentary vote later this month to officially become prime minister, a contest likely to favour the LDP leader given the opposition’s fragmented state. If successful, Takaichi will become Japan’s first female premier.   

 

Who is Sanae Takaichi?

 

Takaichi, 64, has cited former British leader Margaret Thatcher as a key influence, praising her strong character and convictions paired with “womanly warmth". She met Thatcher shortly before the British leader’s death in 2013.

 

A former economic security and interior minister, Takaichi has built a reputation as a bold and sometimes controversial figure. A heavy metal fan and drummer, she is a regular visitor to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japan’s war dead, including some convicted war criminals, a practice that has drawn criticism from neighbouring countries.

 

Takaichi favours revising Japan’s pacifist postwar constitution to recognise the role of its expanding military. She has also suggested forming a “quasi-security alliance” with Taiwan, a move likely to strain ties with China, Reuters reported.

 

On social issues, Takaichi supports increasing the number of female cabinet ministers but opposes same-sex marriage and allowing married couples to retain separate surnames, positions more popular with men than women.

 

Economically, she is a protege of the late Shinzo Abe and a long-time advocate of “Abenomics” stimulus policies. She has called for higher spending and tax cuts to ease the rising cost of living and criticised the Bank of Japan’s recent interest rate hike.

 

Born in Nara, western Japan, Takaichi’s mother was a police officer and her father worked in the automotive industry. She graduated from Kobe University with a degree in business management and later worked as a congressional fellow in the US Congress.

 

She began her political career as an independent in 1993, winning a lower house seat, and joined the LDP in 1996. Her outspoken style and willingness to challenge norms have made her a standout figure in Japanese politics.

 

(With agency inputs)