Melissa Eddon
After weeks of political upheaval in Japanese politics, Sanae Takaichi has become the new Prime Minister.
The resignation of former PM Shigeru Ishiba after less than a year in office and multiple election defeats triggered a leadership election in the Liberal Democratic Party, Japan’s ruling party for 70 years. The result saw Sanae Takaichi appointed as party leader, (and thus PM), a move too far to the right for Komeito, LDP’s long-term coalition partner. Their withdrawal undermined the parliamentary majority Takaichi needed to approve her appointment. As talks of a rival coalition spread, the LDP confirmed a new ruling coalition with Japan’s centre-right opposition Innovation Party (JIP), consolidating Takaichi as Japan’s first female PM.
The 64-year-old former economic security minister has made a name for herself in the West by publicly proclaiming her admiration and emulation of Britain’s first (and infamous) female PM, Margaret Thatcher. From quoting her in speeches, to telling school children on the campaign trail, “my goal is to be the next ‘Iron Lady’”, there can be no doubt that Takaichi’s term will be measured against that of the British political giant.
But beyond their shared status as “glass ceiling” breakers, what will a Japanese Iron Lady look like?
Whilst many Japanese politicians already have a connection to the Diet (Japan’s national legislature, comprised of the House of Councillors, and the more powerful House of Representatives), Takaichi’s father worked for an automatic firm, and her mother served as a police officer. Thatcher’s famously “common” background of a greengrocer father and a grammar school education aligns them both as political outliers in more than just gender. Furthermore, like Thatcher, Tokaichi is vocal about her dual professional and household responsibilities, performing a caring role for her husband, who suffered a stroke earlier this year.
However, it’s on issues like this that the two differ. Takaichi hopes to use her experience to “create a society where people don’t have to give up their careers”. She has supported corporate incentives for offering childcare and maternity leave, creating a “creche society” that Thatcher vocally opposed. She’s also pledged to lift the number of women in cabinet to compare with Nordic countries, a direct contrast with Thatcher, who only appointed one woman to a cabinet position in her 11 years in power.
Despite this, it would be an overstatement to call Takaichi a feminist Thatcher. Despite the opportunity to enact this change immediately, she has taken a more cautious path and only appointed two women to her cabinet upon election. In addition, in a country widely regarded as “out-of-step” with the rest of the modern world when it comes to gender equality, Takaichi is notably unpopular with female voters.
Her opposition to female rule of the imperial family and gay marriage, as well as her hope of challenging the civil law that enables women to maintain their maiden name in marriage, speaks to Thatcher’s own Conservative promotion of the institution of heterosexual marriage. It also echoes the introduction of Section 28, which prevented the teaching and “promotion” of LGBTQ+ topics by local authorities and schools.
Yet, it was Thatcher’s foreign policy, not domestic, that earned her the moniker “Iron Lady”. With increasing tensions with China brewing across the world stage, it’s clear that Takaichi aims to starkly differentiate herself from her predecessors by challenging Article 9 of the post-WW2 constitution. Article 9 limits military forces and renounces war, and was drafted in repsonse to various atrocities and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Japanese state.
Furthermore, Takaichi is pulling no punches when it comes to making clear her anti-China stance. She has spoken in support of Taiwan and paid regular visits to the Yasukuni-jinja shrine, where Japanese war criminals (convicted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East after WW2), are enshrined.
On the other side of the Pacific, questions are arising as to whether Japan-US relations will reflect the closeness of Thatcher and President Reagan, who were once called “political soulmates”. This will prove difficult with the famously mercurial Trump.
Whilst Trump has called her “a person of great wisdom and strength”, and congratulated her on her election, Takaichi’s hopes of revisiting the $550 billion investment Japan has promised the US only a few months ago will likely create tensions over tariffs. Trump is scheduled to visit on the 27th October, before the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative summit in South Korea
Still, there’s much about Takaichi for Trump to take a liking to, such as her commitment to increasing Japan’s defence spending to 2% of GDP by 2027, and her hopes of strengthening the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (US, India, Australia and Japan). Trump is scheduled to visit on the 27th October, before the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative summit in South Korea. Trump’s first impression of her will be one of the first tests of her diplomatic skill.
The political landscape has changed drastically from Thatcher’s day, meaning that there are issues that will force Takaichi to abandon Thatcher’s playbook for answers.
Take immigration, for example, a policy issue developing in Japan against a backdrop of growing discourse around the globe. The issue exploded along with the growth of right-wing Reform UK-esque Sansieto, a party committed to a “Japanese First” agenda. The July elections saw them turn one Lower House seat into 15, as they warned against a “silent invasion of foreigners” and challenged the LDP with ultra-hard stances on immigration, over-tourism and the economy.
Takaichi’s subsequent promise in her leadership campaign, to see “zero illegal foreigners” in Japan sees her take an approach more similar to current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer than to Thatcher, moving her party further right with immigration rhetoric to avoid bleeding votes.
We will have to wait and see whether Takaichi will evoke Thatcher’s “the lady’s not for turning attitude” as she steps into a role blighted by economic and social issues, and whether her legacy will live up to that of her political idol. However, it is clear that like Thatcher, Takaichi is entering an insecure and rapidly changing political environment, in a time when Japan clearly needs strong and stable leadership.