The Western World has widely celebrated Japan’s recent election of its First Female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, but a closer look reveals that this isn’t as progressive a move as initially assumed.
At first glance, the appointment of a woman as the leader of Japan was interpreted as a significant step forward for Japanese women.
After all, Japan ranks 118th in gender equality among all globally recognized countries and last among the Group of Seven nations —an informal organization of the world’s most industrialized democracies.
However, her recent cabinet nominations and political track record suggest the opposite.
As the leader of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party and an apprentice to Shinzo Abe, the former Prime Minister of Japan who was assassinated in 2022, Takaichi has very conservative views.
She remains steadfast in her support of maintaining very traditional gender roles, and she is adverse to much social change and reform.
Takaichi also supports Japan’s toxic patriarchal culture and is against the growing practice of women keeping their maiden surname after marriage or married couples maintaining different last names, “even though she has used hers in professional and public life,” said NPR News.
‘Takaichi’ is actually Sanae’s maiden last name, which her husband adopted- a notably rare practice in Japanese culture.
Despite her use of her own maiden name, Takaichi’s attitude perpetuates Japan’s male-dominated system.
According to Time, Mikiko Eto, a Professor Emerita on Gender and Politics at Hosei University in Tokyo, said Takaichi “behaves like a man [and is] often hostile toward feminist issues or gender matters.”
Her unwillingness to bridge the gender-equality gap has caused frustration in many Japanese scholars, but it’s not just academics that have spoken up.
According to BBC News, Ayda Ogura, a 21-year-old citizen of Japan, said, “Everyone’s like, ‘wow, she’s the first female prime minister in Japanese history and that would be a great opportunity for women empowerment and gender equality in Japan… I think that’s a very naive interpretation.”
Ougra also believes Takaichi’s appointment sets new standards for women in Japan, not all of which are good.
“People are going to expect the same from [every Japanese woman]… They’re going to expect us to be compliant,” and to “not go against the ideals that they have,” Ogura told BBC News, as well.
In addition to making no moves to improve gender equality, Takaichi is vocally opposed to gay marriages.
BBC News said, “Takaichi opposes same-sex marriage” and “supports male-only succession to the Japanese throne.”
Oddly enough, Takaichi does not oppose the lgbtq+ community as a whole; she just doesn’t support marriage equality.
“It’s safe to say that no one expects gender equality issues to be high on her priority list,” BBC News said.
Another thing to consider is Takaichi’s position as the leader of a Democratic nation.
As many know, during their elections, candidates make promises to their voters all the time; however, nominees don’t always follow through.
Takaichi has already gone against some of her promises, like how she claimed she was going to bring in more women to her male-dominated cabinet.
According to NPR News, “Takaichi had promised on the campaign trail to increase the number of women in her cabinet to ‘Nordic levels,’ or closer to 50%. But in the hours after taking office, she appointed only two.”
This pool of deceptive candidates includes both Takaichi and United States President Donald Trump, with who Takaichi intends to establish a friendly alliance.
Similar to Trump, Takaichi is an “anti-immigration, hard-line conservative,” according to Jeffery Hall, a lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies in Japan, who was interviewed by NPR News.
The term ‘xenophobic’ has long been associated with Takaichi in her decades-long political career.
“She has advocated for an anti-espionage law, suggesting that Chinese residents of Japan could be potential spies for China’s government,” said NPR News: “During her campaign, she called for restrictions on non-Japanese people buying property in Japan and a crackdown on illegal immigration.”
The restrictions she aims to enforce seem like they’ll do more harm to Japan’s steadily declining and aging population rather than help.
That being said, her promotion can have a profound impact on Japanese culture as a whole.
In fact, Takaichi’s advancement may inspire a new generation of female politicians in Japan and open previously closed doorways for careers and rights alike.
“Takayuki Eguchi, a 62-year-old Tokyo resident… said her election created hope and expectation given the problems women have in advancing in Japan… ‘I really hope she serves for a long time, and that the political stagnation we’ve been seeing finally starts to move,” according to PBS News.
And while some critics worry that she will maintain policies that have held women in the workforce back for decades, her focus on increased healthcare for women has obtained much support.
In fact, “Takaichi has… [advocated] for the expansion of hospital services for women’s health and [opened] up about her own struggles with menopause symptoms,” said NPR News.
That being said, it’s important to remember exactly why Takaichi’s critics continue to condemn her.
While her newly assumed position as Prime Minister of Japan has allowed another country to employ a female leader, her conservative views cast a shadow over this achievement.
Her stances on same-sex marriages, traditional family values, and immigration have sparked controversy, making her appointment less about progress and more about politics.
As Japan navigates this new era, one has to wonder: will Takaichi’s leadership bring about the changes Japan needs, or will her conservation ideologies hinder the aging country’s growth?
