SINGAPORE: With the nomination of Sanae Takaichi, 64, as head of Japan’s ruling party on Saturday (Oct 4), the country appears to be headed towards having its first female Prime Minister.
Due to tensions across the globe and a sluggish economy at home, whoever leads Japan next has a challenging road ahead.
Ms Takaichi is a protégé of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and holds deeply conservative views, including opposition to female succession to the Japanese throne.
Importantly, she is perceived to be pro-Taiwan and has been critical of Beijing and is said to have been chosen to lead the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as she may be the best person to face United States President Donald Trump.
The writer William Pesek was quoted in CNBC as saying in an October 6 article: “She was probably the best option to face off with Trump at this very tense moment between Trump and the rest of the world.”
Who is Sanae Takaichi?
Ms Takaichi was born in Nara Prefecture and has been in Japan’s House of Representatives for the past four decades and has had a number of ministerial positions, including Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications and Minister of State for Economic Security.
Conservative as she is now, in her days at Kobe University, she drove a motorcycle and played the drums, with a preference for heavy metal music.
After graduating, she lived in the United States for two years, working for a congresswoman from Colorado. When she returned to Japan, she worked as an anchorwoman on TV before getting elected to the House of Representatives in 1993.
Ms Takaichi, like Prime Minister Abe before her, has been vocal in her belief that the atrocities Japan committed during World War 2 were exaggerated. She has also spoken out on immigration issues in Japan, saying that the country needs a “command centre” to oversee foreigners, and blaming tourists for kicking the deer in Nara.
Is Japan ready for its first female Prime Minister?
While she is one of the few women who has reached positions of power in Japan, Ms Takaichi is hardly a champion of women’s rights. For example, she has opposed for many years the law giving women the right to keep their maiden name after marriage.
And while she is the LDP’s new head, there is still the possibility of opposition parties coming together to block her ascendancy to premiership, although CNBC quotes analysts as saying it is unlikely to happen.
Given Ms Takaichi’s deep conservatism and track record, however, if she does become Prime Minister, it’s likely that the status of women’s rights will largely remain unchanged. /TISG
Read also: Shrinking nation, growing hostility: Japan’s immigration dilemma
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