Sanae Takaichi has won a historic vote to become Japan’s first female prime minister
The 64-year-old conservative is known as Japan’s “Iron Lady” – she’s an admirer of the UK’s former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
This is her third attempt at becoming Japan’s leader, and she’s the fourth prime minister in five years from her scandal-hit party, the LDP.
She belongs to the LDP’s hardline wing and is a protege of the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Trump had earlier hailed her as a “highly respected person of great wisdom”.
Now that she’s elected, Takaichi’s challenges will include fixing a sluggish economy, navigating a rocky US-Japan relationship, and uniting a divided ruling party
One crucial item on Sanae Takaichi’s to-do list is the upcoming visit by US President Donald Trump later this month.
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When her predecessor Shigeru Ishiba went to Washington to meet Donald Trump early in his presidency, he held a “study group” with his team to come up with the best strategy to deal with the unpredictable US president – and it went well.
While she may not have time for study sessions and a lot of prep, observers say Takaichi has a leg-up because she seems to be on the same page as the right-leaning, populist wavelength as the American president.
When Takaichi won the LDP’s leadership race earlier this month, Trump described it on Truth Social as “tremendous news for the incredible people of Japan”.
Social media pleasantries aside, Sanane Takaichi knows that she has to make a good impression on President Trump, whose style of diplomacy is heavily based on personal relationships.
She has to do that with the tariff deal in mind – as well as the longstanding US-Japan defence alliance.
