From heavy metal drummer to Japan’s first female PM in waiting: The rise of Sanae Takaichi

Japan is on the brink of making history. Sanae Takaichi, recently elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is set to become the country’s first female prime minister.

At 64, Takaichi has carved out a reputation as a hardline politician. She narrowly secured the LDP leadership on Saturday, defeating Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, the son of former PM Junichiro Koizumi, in a closely contested intraparty runoff.

Once formally confirmed by parliament, which is widely expected, Takaichi will become Japan’s fifth prime minister in just as many years, likely succeeding outgoing premier Shigeru Ishiba.

But who exactly is Sanae Takaichi? What does her victory mean for Japan? Here’s a closer look.

Her journey into politics

Sanae Takaichi’s journey into Japanese politics has been anything but typical.

As a young student, she played drums in a heavy metal band and rode motorcycles. She was first elected to Japan’s parliament from her hometown of Nara in 1993 and has since held influential positions in key party and government posts, including minister of economic security, internal affairs and gender equality.

Now, she takes charge at a turbulent moment for the ruling LDP. The conservative party has been losing ground with younger voters, weighed down by soaring inflation, a damaging slush fund scandal, and the rise of hard-right challengers like the anti-immigration Sanseito party.

In recent days, the LDP and its coalition partner lost their majorities in both houses under Ishiba over the past year, triggering his resignation.

“Recently, I have heard harsh voices from across the country saying we don’t know what the LDP stands for anymore,” Takaichi said in a speech before the second-round vote. “That sense of urgency drove me. I wanted to turn people’s anxieties about their daily lives and the future into hope.”

A complex stance on gender norms 

While Takaichi’s expected election as Japan’s first female prime minister is a milestone, her track record on gender equality tells a more cautious story.

She has opposed updating the 19th-century law that requires married couples to share the same surname, favours keeping the imperial throne male-only, and does not support same-sex marriage. Taken together, these positions place her firmly in the conservative camp of an already traditionalist ruling party.

“Her election would be a step forward for women’s participation in politics,” Sadafumi Kawato, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, told AFP. “But she’s shown little inclination to fight against patriarchal norms.”

Within the LDP, women who have spoken up for diversity or gender equality have often been sidelined. Takaichi herself has largely echoed the old-fashioned views of powerful male heavyweights, which has helped her rise within the party.

On the campaign trail, she promised to appoint more women to her cabinet and even compared her ambitions to “Nordic” standards. Yet analysts warn that her close ties to influential male leaders could ultimately limit how much change she can deliver.

For context, only about 15 per cent of seats in the lower house, the more powerful chamber of parliament, are held by women, and just two of the country’s 47 prefectural governors are female.

Japan’s global standing on gender equality also lags far behind. It currently ranks 118th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Gender Gap Report. In contrast, the Nordic countries Takaichi cites as role models, like Iceland, Finland and Norway, continue to top the list.

Still, she has shown small signs of openness. Recently, Takaichi spoke about her own struggles with menopausal symptoms and stressed the importance of educating men about women’s health, both at school and in the workplace.

Supporter of ‘Abenomics’ 

Takaichi, who often cites Former British PM Margaret Thatcher as her political role model, presents a sharper and potentially more disruptive vision for Japan’s future than rival candidates such as Koizumi.

She has long backed the late PM Shinzo Abe’s “Abenomics” agenda, which sought to revive growth through aggressive government spending and ultra-loose monetary policy. In line with that, she has been openly critical of the Bank of Japan’s recent moves to raise interest rates.

Such a stance could unsettle investors concerned about Japan’s already massive public debt. Naoya Hasegawa, chief bond strategist at Okasan Securities in Tokyo, noted that her victory had lowered the odds of the BOJ hiking rates this month, a move that markets had previously seen as a 60 per cent possibility.

Beyond the economy, her priorities extend into national security and technology. She has called for strengthening Japan’s military, boosting cybersecurity, and supporting nuclear fusion research.

She also wants to tighten immigration rules, with analysts suggesting that her hard line on foreigners and crime is aimed at winning back disillusioned voters who have drifted away from the LDP.

Hawkish foreign policy

Takaichi’s foreign policy instincts lean hard on security.

She is known for her hawkish stance on China and has long argued for revising Japan’s pacifist postwar constitution. Earlier this year, she even floated the idea of a “quasi-security alliance” with Taiwan,  a move certain to anger Beijing.

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te welcomed her victory, describing her as a “steadfast friend of Taiwan.” In a statement, he expressed hope that “under the leadership of the new (LDP) President Takaichi, Taiwan and Japan can deepen their partnership in areas such as economic trade, security, and technological cooperation.”

Takaichi has also signalled that she may be open to renegotiating an investment deal struck with US President Donald Trump, which had eased his steep tariffs in exchange for Japanese taxpayer-backed investments.

The US ambassador to Japan, George Glass, was quick to congratulate her, posting on X that he looked forward to strengthening the Japan-US partnership “on every front.”

If she becomes prime minister, Takaichi has promised a more visible international presence than her predecessor, pledging to travel abroad more often and spread the message that “Japan is back!”

“I have thrown away my own work-life balance and I will work, work, work,” Takaichi said in her victory speech.

With input from agencies

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