First female Prime Minister in Japan: symbol of progress or status quo?
First female Prime Minister in Japan: symbol of progress or status quo?
WRITTEN BY FEDERICA CIDALE
18 December 2025
Japan made history this year with the appointment of its first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi: a remarkable feat in a country where women only make up about 16 per cent of politicians. However, the picture becomes more complex when examining her positions on key issues: denying Japan’s wartime atrocities, supporting strengthening the national security apparatus, and opposing liberal gender policies. Studying Takaichi’s policy positions, including historical revisionism, strengthened national security, and tightened immigration, makes it clear that her leadership exemplifies a paradox: women who achieve power in patriarchal societies often do so by reinforcing the very structures that limit opportunities for other women.
Historical revisionism and national security
Takaichi has long held controversial views regarding Japan’s wartime history. She has argued that Japan’s war crimes are exaggerated, calling for the withdrawal of the 1995 Murayama apology, supporting the removal of references to “comfort women” from school textbooks for being “self-deprecating”, and making regular visits to Yasukuni Shrine, where several Class A war criminals are enshrined. Takaichi also wants to revise Article 9 of Japan’s postwar Constitution, which renounces war and prohibits the maintenance of military forces. In her book The Lie of the Doves, she argues that Japan’s pacifist constitution is outdated and undermines the nation’s sovereignty.
As PM, Takaichi has so far refrained from displaying extremist behaviour on the international stage. At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, Takaichi held a cordial meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, signalling a willingness to advance bilateral relations and continue the dialogue resumed under Kishida and Yoon. Despite her historically inflammatory rhetoric, both leaders appear to be pursuing a more pragmatic approach, guided by shared security interests. In comparison, Takaichi has taken a noticeably critical stance toward Beijing.
While she broke a significant glass ceiling, her policy positions, from historical revisionism and expanded national security powers to restrictive immigration policies, reinforce existing conservative structures.
Following her election, the Chinese foreign ministry hoped that Japan would “honour its political commitments” on Taiwan and historical issues. This reflects Beijing’s concern over Takaichi’s well-known support for Taiwan. Indeed, she has appointed pro-Taiwanese politician Minoru Kihara as Chief Cabinet Secretary and proposed a “quasi-alliance” during her meeting with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te earlier this year. When asked in parliament what would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” warranting the deployment of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces, Takaichi cited a Chinese military attempt to control Taiwan as an example, prompting severe diplomatic backlash from Beijing. Under Takaichi’s leadership, Japan–China relations are likely to remain cool and contentious.
As former PM Shinzo Abe’s protégé, Takaichi will continue with Abe’s doctrine of “proactive pacifism”. Takaichi has already announced that Japan will reach 2 per cent of GDP in military spending by March 2026, a year earlier than previously planned, and intends to revise the National Security Strategy, releasing the updated version by the end of 2026, despite the previous revision being released only recently in 2022.
Her focus on strengthening Japan’s defence capabilities extends beyond traditional domains, encompassing cybersecurity and other emerging technologies. In her inaugural speech, she stressed the importance of reinforcing Japan’s defence-industrial and technological foundations to ensure national security. These initiatives appear to be a direct response to China’s growing use of hybrid and grey-zone tactics in the region. Moreover, Takaichi has long advocated for an anti-spy law designed to tighten control over classified information. Critics, however, caution that if poorly drafted, such legislation could potentially be used to undermine freedom of speech.
Tightened immigration
During her campaign, Takaichi gave an inflammatory speech criticising tourists for kicking deer in Nara. This illustrates how she has leveraged migration and tourism to appeal to Japanese citizens frustrated by a surge in foreign visitors. Her leadership reflects that sentiment, as she is expected to tighten regulations on foreign land ownership, immigration, and the already stringent requirements for acquiring Japanese citizenship.
Notably, US-born Kimi Onoda, whose mother is Japanese and father American, has been appointed Economy Security Minister and also named Minister in Charge of the newly created “Society of Well-Ordered and Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals”. Despite her mixed background, Onoda does not speak English and has lived all her life in Okayama. This suggests that the appointment of a half-foreign minister is largely symbolic to grant that controversial position an air of legitimacy. Onoda has openly stated that she intends to reinforce Takaichi’s tough stance on foreigners, despite migrants making up only about 3 per cent of the population.
Conservative social agenda
Takaichi currently enjoys a relatively high approval rating of around 68 per cent yet she does not plan to dissolve the Lower House at this stage. Takaichi’s conservative stance and Abe’s enduring influence are immediately apparent in her Cabinet composition. She has appointed many Abe faction loyalists, bolstering the conservative faction advocating for conservative policies. Moreover, the breakup with Komeito and partnership with the right-wing JIP further tilts the ruling coalition to the right. She appointed two women to the 19-member Cabinet, but both Kimi Onoda and Satsuki Katayama are staunchly socially conservative.
Takaichi has pledged to address rising costs and inflation through tax reforms and economic stimulus. To address labour shortages due to an ageing population, Takaichi has already taken steps to ease working-hour regulations, which were tightened in 2019 to curb overwork. However, these changes offer little benefit for women and population increase. She also stated that she sleeps “about two hours now, four hours at the longest”.
Despite her claim of wanting to “create a society where people do not have to give up their careers,” her policies tell a different story. The societal expectation for women to serve as primary caregivers fundamentally conflicts with Japanese corporate culture, which rewards company loyalty. Because Japanese society remains strongly gendered, men are still seen as the main breadwinners. Unburdened by caregiving responsibilities, they are able to work long hours and, as a result, tend to advance more easily in their careers. On the other hand, this system disadvantages women because the societal pressure to prioritise caregiving does not allow them to commit to long working hours typical of most Japanese companies. As a consequence, women are pushed into part-time work characterized by its flexibility but with fewer opportunities for promotion and lower remuneration.
Indeed, women make up 52 per cent of irregular workers in Japan. Beyond labour issues, Takaichi opposes allowing married couples to keep separate surnames, claiming it “destroys the social structure based on family units”, despite widespread public support. She also opposes same-sex marriage, insisting that marriage should remain “between both sexes”, even after several high courts suggested the ban is unconstitutional. Satsuki Katayama, now Minister of Finance in Takaichi’s Cabinet, serves as a clear representative of the PM’s conservative views on gender issues. In 2023, following a Supreme Court ruling on transgender rights, she urged caution, citing “concerns from women across the country”. Katayama has also lectured for the Japan Conference Osaka Women’s Association at events opposing LGBT rights legislation, and posted on ultranationalist organisation Nippon Kaigi’s website.
Her conservative views also influence her position on the Imperial family. While she does not oppose a female emperor, she rejects female-line succession, arguing it would disrupt the imperial lineage and undermine the emperor’s authority and legitimacy. This perspective reflects her traditionalist view of Japan’s past, rather than a blanket opposition to gender equality. Many hard-line conservatives in Japan regard the emperor as central to national identity and seek to preserve the imperial institution’s historical continuity.
Despite her controversial positions, Takaichi has gained a relatively cult following among women. Her signature pink pen became an online sensation, and other personal items, such as her tote bag, have similarly gained popularity, showing how she inspired admiration even among demographics her policies may disadvantage.
The hypocrisy of conservative women leaders
Strong yet socially conservative women in politics have become increasingly prominent. In 2023, Italy elected Giorgia Meloni as its first female PM. A far-right politician, Meloni opposes immigration, is skeptical of feminist agendas, and champions traditional family values — despite not fitting the conventional image of a “traditional” woman herself. She is a single mother who separated from her partner, yet she advocates a lifestyle for women that she does not personally embody. A similar phenomenon has occurred in Germany, where the far-right AfD party has gained traction. Its co-leader, Alice Weidel, is a nationalist, anti-immigration, and promotes traditional values while herself being a lesbian married to a Sri Lankan woman, living in Switzerland, and raising adopted children.
The paradox of these women — strong, independent, and non-conforming to traditional gender roles, yet publicly endorsing conservative and nationalistic agendas — highlights a growing trend that Takaichi is a part of. Despite living in a deeply patriarchal society, she has carved out her own path. She defied her parents’ expectations by pursuing higher education instead of marriage. Her husband took her surname in their second marriage, even describing the kitchen as his domain, while Takaichi herself has admitted that she cannot really cook. Takaichi neither advances feminist causes nor overtly opposes them; her political priorities are rooted primarily in Japanese nationalism and patriotism, not identity-based concerns, leaving little space for structural inequalities such as gender and ethnicity.
But not everyone can be as determined or lucky as Takaichi. While some may view her as a role model, the reality is more complicated. She projects the image of a woman achieving power, yet in a deeply patriarchal society, this success often means conforming to existing hierarchies and the status quo. She sells a reality that does not fully exist, suggesting that women and everyone else only need to adapt, rather than push for systemic change. Her success could be presented as proof that if she could navigate the system, any woman could. While she broke a significant glass ceiling, her policy positions, from historical revisionism and expanded national security powers to restrictive immigration policies, reinforce existing conservative structures. A symbol not of progress but of individual achievement.
DISCLAIMER: All views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of the 9DASHLINE.com platform.
Author biography
Federica Cidale is a PhD student in International Relations and Asian studies at Palacký University Olomouc in the Czech Republic and CEIAS Research Fellow. Her main research delves into the growing influence of cybertechnologies on international politics and extends to Japan’s domestic politics, East Asian security, the Indo-Pacific region, ASEAN – particularly Myanmar – and non-Western state systems such as Mandala. First female Prime Minister in Japan: symbol of progress or status quo? Image credit: Wikimedia Commons/Cabinet Secretariat.