On October 21, 2025, Japan elected its first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi. The newly elected leader is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.
While liberal means progressive in America, the word actually means conservative in most other countries. Takaichi is a staunch supporter of enforcing gender roles, opposing legislation allowing women to maintain their maiden name after marriage and supporting male ascension to the throne. However, she advocates for expanding hospital services to women and providing tax breaks to corporations that provide childcare.
Additionally, her choice to downplay Japan’s aggression during World War II has stirred up controversy. Her stance on immigration has recently put her in the good graces of President Donald Trump during their recent meeting. The two have since worked out an agreement to also collaborate on studying and mining rare earth metals off the coast of Minamitori Island.
Ultimately, Takaichi’s election may not be the great leap towards closing the gender gap in Japan, which ranked 118th out of 148 countries on the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Gender Gap Report.