Copyright Salt Lake City Deseret News
The heavy-metal-loving, motorcycle-driving Sanae Takaichi (高市 早苗) was elected the first female prime minister of Japan on Tuesday. Wearing a blue suit jacket to reference U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi is expected to move the country further to the political right. In her acceptance speech, Takaichi promised to abolish some taxes and said she looks forward to meeting with President Donald Trump on Oct. 28, when he visits the country. After Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation as prime minister in September, the vote to install Takaichi in his place passed in the lower house of Parliament by 237-149, and it passed by 125-46 in the upper house. The average tenure of a Japanese prime minister in the last 30 years is 16 months. What are Takaichi’s political views? Takaichi advocates for tougher immigration policies, higher defense spending, traditional marriage and the revision of Japan’s pacifist constitution. She has warned that those staying in Japan illegally will be sent back to their home country. Francis Pike, a historian of Asian history and politics, described Takaishi in The Spectator. “She is supportive of Taiwan and is an outspoken critic of China,” he wrote. Takaichi has already appointed her Cabinet, drawing criticism from some expecting more female representation. Of the 19 positions, Takaishi appointed two women. Satsuki Katayama will serve as the first female finance minister and Kimi Onoda as economic security minister. When asked by a reporter why there were so few women included, Takaishi told reporters she made the decision based on meritocracy. “As I have said from the beginning, I believe in equality of opportunity and equality of skill,” she said. Takaishi also supports the current Japanese law requiring married couples to have the same surname. Japan’s first ever first gentleman took Takaichi’s surname Takaichi and her husband, Taku Yamamoto, decided whose last name they would take in a game of rock, paper, scissors, the South Korean newspaper, Chosun, reported. Takaichi won, and Yamamoto legally changed his name to Taku Takaichi. In his social life, Japan’s first gentleman still goes by Yamamoto, the paper added. Yamamoto, 73, told the Japan Times he is “relieved” the lower and upper houses elected Takaichi as prime minister. “I’ll support her as a low-key ‘stealth’ husband,” he said. Following an election where Takaichi lost her lower house seat in 2004, Yamamoto proposed to Takaichi over the phone. He said, “I can make you delicious meals for life, because I have a cook’s license.” Takaichi hates cooking. Yamamoto and Takaichi divorced in 2017, citing political differences, but they remarried in 2021. Takaichi spent time on Capitol Hill as an intern Raised by blue-collar parents, Takaichi traveled six hours a day to attend Kobe University. She paid her own way through school, working part-time jobs. In 1987, as a 26-year-old, Takaichi moved to Washington, D.C., to intern for Democratic Rep. Patricia Schroeder. This was during a period of Japan-U.S. trade tensions, and Schroeder was openly critical of Japan’s economic policies, trade imbalances and market access issues. Former aide Andrea Camp described Takaichi as an “energetic presence, peppering aides with questions about the inner workings of Congress and American foreign policy,” to The New York Times. After returning to Japan, she worked as a television personality before running in 1993 as an independent to represent Nara in Parliament. Takaishi’s father gave his retirement savings to this first campaign, which she won. Trump congratulates Takaichi Following Takaichi’s leadership election of the Liberal Democratic Party on on Oct. 6, Trump posted on Truth Social, “Japan has just elected its first female prime minister, a highly respected person of great wisdom and strength.” He continued, “This is tremendous news for the incredible people of Japan. Congratulations to all!”
