Japan elects its 1st woman prime minister — but will it advance gender equality?

Sanae Takaichi has become Japan’s first woman prime minister since the country established its modern parliamentary system 140 years ago, yet her ultraconservative ideology has left questions whether this milestone will translate into meaningful progress for women and the country.

Making history: Japan’s Parliament voted on Tuesday to install Takaichi as the nation’s 104th prime minister, with the 64-year-old winning 237 of 465 votes in the lower house of the Diet, the country’s legislature. However, data reveals the scale of inequality she inherits: Japan ranks 118th out of 148 countries on the World Economic Forum’s 2025 gender gap index, with women holding just 15.7% of parliamentary seats, the last among G7 nations.

The breakthrough has sparked cautious optimism. Naomi Koshi, who became Japan’s youngest woman mayor in 2012, told Kyodo News that Takaichi’s rise holds “great significance” in reducing barriers for women entering public life. But Takaichi appointed only two women to her 19-member cabinet, far below her pledges to match Iceland’s or Finland’s representation.

The caveats: Raised by a police officer and a salaryman in Nara, Takaichi spent her youth riding motorcycles and drumming in heavy metal bands before entering politics in 1993. She openly admires Margaret Thatcher and styles herself as the political successor to hardline former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, part of a broader global pattern of populist leaders with working-class roots, divisive rhetoric and nationalist appeals. That worldview explains why many women remain skeptical, as she launched her campaign with attacks on foreign residents and opposes same-sex marriage, separate surname laws and female imperial succession.

Her focus on immigration reinforces her conservative positioning. She created a ministerial post to enforce “stricter measures against unruly foreign residents” as Japan’s foreign population reached a record 3.95 million. The Liberal Democratic Party, a conservative party, elevated her strategically to win back voters who had shifted toward far-right parties like the Trump-inspired Sanseito and its “Japanese First” platform. “The prospect of a first female prime minister doesn’t make me happy,” sociologist Chizuko Ueno told The Guardian, noting that while it improves gender statistics, “that doesn’t mean Japanese politics will become kinder to women.”

What’s next: Takaichi faces immediate diplomatic tests, with the ASEAN Summit starting this Sunday in Malaysia, President Donald Trump visiting Japan this Monday and the APEC summit following in South Korea. Domestically, her governing alliance with the Japan Innovation Party, which was formed after longtime partner Komeito left the coalition, holds fewer than half the seats in parliament, requiring opposition support to pass legislation.

Policy tensions may complicate that effort. While both coalition parties support expanded defense spending, they diverge sharply on fiscal policy: Takaichi favors government stimulus, while her partners demand deep budget cuts.