Trending 
Once parliament confirms her appointment, which is considered almost certain, Takaichi will become Japan’s first female head of government and the country’s fifth prime minister in as many years.
Although her election is a significant milestone for women’s political participation, analysts stress that Takaichi is not a feminist candidate.
Instead, she has built her reputation on hardline positions on national defence, economic security, and immigration.
Facing growing voter discontent over inflation and a recent slush fund scandal, as well as rising support for the far-right Sanseito party, Takaichi has promised a tougher stance on immigration and foreign visitors.
A former economic security minister, she has also criticised China’s expanding military presence in the Asia-Pacific and frequently visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, seen by neighbouring countries as a symbol of Japan’s wartime aggression.
During the leadership campaign, however, she moderated her rhetoric—a stark change from last year when she vowed to visit Yasukuni as prime minister, a pledge that contributed to her defeat by outgoing leader Shigeru Ishiba.
Nicknamed “Iron Lady 2.0” for her admiration of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi once played drums in a heavy metal band.
Despite promising to improve gender representation in her cabinet to “Nordic” levels, she opposes reforming a 19th-century law requiring married couples to share the same surname — a policy that largely forces women to adopt their husbands’ names.
Japan ranked 118th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Gender Gap Report, mainly due to the low number of women in government.
A close ally of assassinated ex-premier Shinzo Abe, Takaichi supports aggressive monetary easing and heavy fiscal spending, following Abe’s “Abenomics” approach—policies that could unsettle financial markets.
She has also raised concerns about rising crime and foreign economic influence, calling for stricter regulations in an effort to win back nationalist voters.
On trade, Takaichi recently stated that she would push to renegotiate agreements with the United States if they were implemented in ways deemed harmful or unfair to Japan.
