Japan Welcomes First Female Prime Minister — a Former Heavy Metal Drummer Touted as Staunch Conservative

Japan has welcomed its first female prime minister in the country’s history.

Sanae Takaichi, 64,  defeated her centrist opponent Shinjiro Koizumi, in a runoff election at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo and will now lead the Japanese government.

She is described as a protege of late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and has served in multiple government roles, including security minister.

Takaichi also cites Margaret Thatcher as her political inspiration.

“I’m feeling how tough it’s going to be from here on, rather than feeling happy,” Takaichi said after her victory.

“We won’t be able to rebuild the party if I don’t get everyone’s help, from all generations,” she continued.

“I will scrap my work-life balance and work and work and work and work and work.”

Among Takaichi’s most important tasks will be building a relationship with President Trump, after the U.S. tariffs were among the factors that helped bring down the previous government.

The Wall Street Journal notes:

An ardent Japanese nationalist, Takaichi was born in Nara, a prefecture famous for the sacred deer that draw thousands of tourists to its principal city each year.

Like her mentor, the late Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is a strong supporter of Japan’s alliance with the U.S. and her conservative views on foreign policy and social issues give her a degree of ideological affinity with Trump.

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Her victory adds to conservative gains in the world’s leading economies. Trump won re-election in the U.S. in November with a promise to crack down on immigration and impose sweeping tariffs on imports.

Voter concerns over immigration, sluggish economic growth and stubbornly high inflation are fueling support for right-wing and center-right parties in countries including France, Italy and the U.K.

Despite being among the world’s most powerful countries, Japan faces a multitude of challenges including a massive budget deficit, inflation and an alarmingly low birth rate.

Her mentor, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was tragically shot and killed by a leftist back in 2022, despite having left office two years earlier.