🔗 Share this article

For many young girls in Japan currently, the sight of Sanae Takaichi taking the helm as the nation's inaugural woman leader is impactful and influential.

This signifies a male-oriented culture and a government structure that has historically been controlled by men is now led by a female.

However, although the optics suggest a forward-thinking era, some women don't see her as an advocate for change.

“It was quite fascinating to see how people beyond Japan's borders have reacted to the news,” a 21-year-old states.

“Everyone's like, ‘wow, she's the first female prime minister in the nation's past and that would be a great opportunity for female advancement and equal rights in Japan’.

In my opinion that's a very naive view.”

Instead, the young woman points to her “ideological stance and what she stands for,” noting: “She perpetuates the patriarchal system.”

A big fan of Margaret Thatcher, Sanae Takaichi has long aspired to be the “Steel Magnolia” of her nation.

And like Thatcher, Takaichi is a firm right-wing politician.

Analysts note her leadership is a tactical move from the ruling LDP to attract the increasingly right-leaning supporters which had recently gravitated towards Japan's parties further to the right.

Takaichi opposes marriage equality and has long stood against legislation that would permit married couples to have separate surnames, preventing many females from retaining their birth surnames.

She's also opposed to women being in line for succession in the royal household.

Nonetheless, she moderated certain her statements during her election bid – saying she supports giving tax incentives to companies that provide childcare facilities to their employees and mentioned potential deductions for households investing in childcare.

But she has historically supported the notion of a more traditional role for females in the community and in the family.

Regarding gender matters, Takaichi is consistent with her nation's subpar record on equality concerns.

The Country's Gender Gap in Perspective

Women in Japan are among the best educated and highest qualified in the globe and yet they struggle with the demands of a conservative society that still pushes them into traditional roles.

Based on the 2025 equality ranking by the global organization, Japan ranked 118th among nearly 150 countries, with women's presence in the field of politics notably low.

Top roles have historically been held by males and Japan has faced difficulties to boost the quantity of female lawmakers and corporate executives.

The globally fourth biggest economy ranks at the bottom among the Group of Seven nations when it comes to the share of females in its national parliament. In detail, women make up about less than 16% of lawmakers in Japan, the lowest figure among the G7.

Progress is also sluggish when it comes to women's reproductive health: recently was it announced that the “emergency” pill – a form of post-coital birth control available without prescription in over ninety nations – had finally been approved for non-prescription sales in Japan.

Mixed Responses to the Historic Leadership

Nonetheless, certain individuals view Takaichi's rise to power as a pivotal moment that could change how women view their prospects.

“It is highly meaningful in Ms Takaichi becoming prime minister, with a wider influence on society,” Naomi Koshi – who became the country's most youthful woman city leader in 2012 – informed local media.

Koshi argued Japan electing a female prime minister will “reduce psychological barriers” for females of all ages, enabling them to believe it is acceptable to “stand out” as authorities in companies and society, even as gender-based stereotypes and expectations still persist.

However a 20-year-old notes that, while it is remarkable Japan has its inaugural woman leader, one must remember it required her over three decades to get to that office.

“She's also not really challenging the grain. She's saying the identical views as the men.”

The young woman further states that she shouldn't be put on a pedestal simply because she is a female.

“It is essential to make sure we're talking about her agenda. We need to be able to criticise her fairly as everyone else.”

Political Background and Associations

It is not just what Takaichi has stated which has led people to label her as a defender of the male-dominated system.

It's also evident by who her supporters within the LDP have were.

She's the protégé of the late ex- conservative prime minister Shinzo Abe, and was backed in the party vote by a senior politician – a prominent member in the LDP at the head of one of the ruling party's most powerful right-wing factions.

His faction's backing for Sanae Takaichi was crucial in uniting the conservative wing behind her.

“I do feel that it is difficult for women to somewhat identify with her achievement because it furthers this notion that we have to be obedient with the status quo,” 21-year-old Minori Konishi remarks.

Ms Ogura agrees, stating that with her as a symbol for women in government, “people are going to expect the identical from women as well”.

“They're going to expect us to be conforming, not oppose the ideals that they hold, and it might make our job harder.”

Upcoming Challenges and Anticipations

Achieving this milestone, however, was only the initial of the challenges Takaichi will encounter – not least addressing a slow growth and inflation and winning back the trust of a discontented and angry electorate, as well as hosting the US leader within a short time of assuming office.

One can reasonably assume that few anticipate women's rights matters to be a top priority on her priority list.