Oct 5, 2025
How are we feeling about Takaichi as LDP President (and likely PM)?
The big news from yesterday is that Sanae Takaichi won the LDP party president vote, which means she's the person most likely to then be PM once the extraordinary session of the Diet takes place. How do you feel about this? Are you thinking it's Japan taking a step in the right direction by having their first ever female PM, or are you like me and a little skeptical of some of her conservative policy stances?
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on Oct 5
Mixed feelings here. On the one hand, elevating a woman to a leadership role is a step forward and may open the door to others. Takaichi's campaign mentions increasing the representation of women in government. On the other hand, her remarks about alleged deer-kicking foreigners are disappointing not just because of sensationalizing crime by foreigners. In her response to an Asahi interview, she appears to conflate foreign visitors with foreign residents, discussing "coexistence." To my mind, welcoming tourists, building a plan to alleviate overtourism, and taking action to integrate foreign residents into Japanese life are the words I want to hear. All separate issues.
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on Oct 6
The first female prime minister is HUGE. But this woman as the first, doesn't bode well for us. Us as women, us as foreigners, us as society. Like you, I am very skeptical. On the one hand she has pledged to improve gender balance in her cabinet to and introduce family-friendly policies, on the other, she opposes female ascension to the throne and women keeping their own surname after marriage. Like Japan, she is a mix of contrasts!
2 Answers