Sanae Takaichi Shatters Glass Ceiling, Becomes Japan‘s First Female Prime Minister
TOKYO – Sanae Takaichi has been elected as Japan’s first female prime minister, marking a historic shift for the nation. The election of Takaichi, a protégé of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, comes after a period of political realignment following recent election defeats and the departure of Komeito from the governing coalition.
Takaichi’s ascent to the premiership signals a potential policy shift for Japan, with expectations she will pursue Abe’s agenda of strengthening the military and economy, and potentially revising the country’s pacifist constitution.Her election is particularly critically important given Japan’s historically low representation of women in leadership positions, and arrives amid ongoing debate regarding social issues like same-sex marriage and allowing separate surnames for married couples.
First elected to parliament in 1993, Takaichi has held several key ministerial positions, including Minister of Economic security and Minister of Internal Affairs.she is known as an admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. However,her diplomatic experience is limited,and her conservative views have drawn scrutiny.
Komeito’s decision to leave the governing coalition stemmed from the Liberal democratic Party’s (LDP) handling of slush fund scandals and concerns over Takaichi’s stance on sensitive ancient and social issues. These included her revisionist views on Japan’s wartime past and her regular visits to Yasukuni Shrine, which are viewed as insensitive by Beijing and Seoul.
In a recent gesture, Takaichi opted to send a religious ornament to Yasukuni Shrine rather of making a personal visit, a move interpreted by some as an attempt to moderate her public image. Despite past xenophobic remarks, she has recently toned down her hawkish rhetoric. The coming months will reveal the extent to which Takaichi can navigate these challenges and implement her policy objectives, given a potentially fragile mandate.
