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Takaichi Sanae 高市 早苗 | |
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| Born | 7 March 1961 (age 64) Yamatokōriyama, Nara, Japan |
| Political orientation | Neoliberalism Ultraconservatism Japanese nationalism Imperialism |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic |
Takaichi Sanae (Japanese 高市 早苗; born 7 March 1961), formerly Yamamoto Sanae (山本 早苗), is a Japanese politician currently serving as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party since October 2025. A protégé of Abe Shinzō, Takaichi held various positions during the premierships of Abe and Kishida Fumio, most notably as Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications (2014–17, 2019–20).
As first female prime minister of Japan, Takaichi has used her gender as a political weapon, using the language of women's empowerment to present her premiership as progressive. In reality, Takaichi is an ultraconservative loyal to tradition that seeks to entrench patriarchal values under a veil of performative reform. This is represented in her opposition to changes such as allowing married couples the option to retain separate surnames and her defence of the male-only succession to the Chrysanthemum Throne.[1]
Takaichi's primary goal is to continue the conservative project of reviving Japanese militarism and interventionism in the service of imperialism. In line with this agenda, Takaichi has come into conflict with China by threatening that Japan would ignore international law and intervene if China attempted to reclaim the breakaway province of Taiwan. Takaichi has a history of historical revisionism, and as well as lying about post-war treaties, she denies Japanese war crimes during the Second World War.[2][3]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Ming Gao (2025-10-02). "Who Is Japan’s First Female Prime Minister?" Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 2025-10-06.
- ↑ Wang Xu (2025-11-24). "The militarist's path to revival" China Daily. Archived from the original on 2025-11-29.
- ↑ Jenny Chan (2025-10-29). "Trump Administration Embraces New Japanese Leader Who is a Regular Visitor to a Shrine that Honors War Criminals" CovertAction Magazine. Archived from the original on 2025-11-29.