Sanae Takaichi has made history but will have little time to settle in before negotiating the pitfalls of rising prices, power struggles and a mercurial US president
It is hard to overstate the symbolism of Sanae Takaichi’s achievement on Tuesday in becoming the first female prime minister of Japan, a country that consistently ranks poorly in global gender equality comparisons, not least in politics and business.
However, she will have precious little time to savour her historic appointment.
Takaichi is expected to make good on promises to appoint a cabinet with “Nordic” levels of women, but the challenges of office loom large as Japan’s fifth prime minister in as many years attempts to revive the fortunes of the ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) with the support of an inexperienced junior coalition partner.
Takaichi’s domestic in-tray includes a cost-of-living crisis and growing disquiet over migration, which many see as the only viable solution to Japan’s looming demographic crisis.
