7 months ago
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In a state that ranks poorly internationally for sex equality, the caller president of Japan's long-governing Liberal Democrats, and apt adjacent Prime Minister, is an ultra-conservative prima of a male-dominated enactment that critics telephone an obstacle to women's advancement.
Sanae Takaichi, 64, admires erstwhile British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and is simply a proponent of erstwhile Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's blimpish imaginativeness for Japan.
Ms. Takaichi is the archetypal pistillate president of Japan's predominantly antheral ruling enactment that has dominated Japan's post-war authorities astir without interruption.
She hardly touched connected sex issues during the campaign, but connected Saturday (October 4, 2025), arsenic she tried retired the enactment president's seat and posed for a photograph arsenic is customary for the recently elected leader, Ms. Takaichi said: "Now that the LDP has its archetypal pistillate president, its scenery volition alteration a little."
Takaichi served successful cardinal enactment and authorities posts
First elected to parliament from her hometown of Nara successful 1993, she has served successful cardinal enactment and authorities posts, including curate of economical security, interior affairs and sex equality.
Female lawmakers successful the blimpish Liberal Democratic Party who were fixed constricted ministerial posts person often been shunned arsenic soon arsenic they spoke up astir diverseness and sex equality. Ms. Takaichi has stuck with old-fashioned views favoured by antheral enactment heavyweights.
Ms. Takaichi besides admits she is simply a workaholic who would alternatively survey astatine location alternatively of socialising. After unsuccessfully moving for enactment presidency doubly successful the past, she made efforts to beryllium much sociable to physique connections arsenic advised, she said.
Takaichi calls for effort to rebuild party
But connected Saturday (October 4 2025), arsenic she called for an all-out effort to rebuild the enactment and regain nationalist support, she asked each enactment lawmakers to “work similar a horse.” Then she added, “I volition wantonness the connection work-life balance.' I volition work, work, enactment and work." The “work-life balance” rapidly trended connected societal media, triggering mixed reactions — enactment for her enthusiasm and interest astir her enactment ethic.
Women comprise lone astir 15% of Japan's little house, the much almighty of the 2 parliamentary chambers. Only 2 of Japan's 47 prefectural governors are women.
A drummer successful a heavy-metal set and a motorbike rider arsenic a student, Ms. Takaichi has called for a stronger military, much fiscal spending for growth, promotion of atomic fusion, cybersecurity and tougher policies connected immigration.
She vowed to drastically summation pistillate Ministers successful her government. But experts accidental she mightiness really acceptable backmost women's advancement due to the fact that arsenic person she would person to amusement loyalty to influential antheral heavyweights. If not, she risks a short-lived leadership.
Ms. Takaichi has backed fiscal enactment for women's wellness and fertility attraction arsenic portion of the LDP argumentation of having women service successful their accepted roles of being bully mothers and wives. But she besides precocious acknowledged her struggles with menopausal symptoms and stressed the request to amended men astir pistillate wellness to assistance women astatine schoolhouse and work.
Supports imperial family’s male-only succession
Ms. Takaichi supports the imperial family's male-only succession, opposes same-sex matrimony and a revision to the 19th-century civilian instrumentality that would let abstracted surnames for joined couples truthful that women don't get pressured into abandoning theirs.
She is simply a wartime past revisionist and China hawk. She regularly visits Yasukuni Shrine, which Japan's neighbours see a awesome of militarism, though she has declined to accidental what she would bash arsenic premier minister.
Political watchers accidental her revisionist views of Japan's wartime past whitethorn complicate ties with Beijing and Seoul.
Her hawkish stance is besides a interest for the LDP's longtime concern with Komeito, a Buddhist-backed mean party. While she has said the existent conjugation is important for her party, she says she is unfastened to moving with far-right groups.
