Japan’s New Iron Lady

In a surprising development, Japan’s 70-year-old Liberal Democratic Party, which has dominated the nation in recent memory, has elected a woman to be the party president. Sanae Takaichi is a 32-year veteran of Japan’s legislative body, the Diet. She ran twice before for the presidency of her party and lost. This time, she defeated four men to win.Her election could prove a real breakthrough — if her party can retain its majority in the legislature. In the last cabinet, only two members were women. In fact, only 15 percent of the members of the Diet are women, and only two of the 47 prefectural governors are women. As Ms. Takaichi put it after the election, “Now that the LDP has its first female president, its scenery will change a little.” During the campaign, she indicated she wanted considerably more women in her cabinet.One of Ms. Takaichi’s heroes is former British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, who in 1976 was dubbed “the Iron Lady” by a Soviet journalist — a title she proudly kept for the rest of her life. Now, for Ms. Takaichi to become Prime Minister Takaichi, she must put together a coalition in Japan. While the LDP is by far the largest party in the Diet, it does not have a majority. She faces a fascinating balancing act. The Komeito Party, traditionally the largest coalition ally for the LDP, is more centrist and less aggressive than the LDP. Since Ms. Takaichi is from the more conservative and more pro-military wing of the LDP, the tension between her and her Komeito allies is greater than usual. On Friday, Komeito said it was stepping away from its coalition with the LDP, raising concerns about whether Ms. Takaichi would be able to move ahead with her leadership bid.The strain between the LDP and Komeito is compounded because Ms. Takaichi routinely visits the Yasukuni Shrine, an extraordinarily important symbol of Japanese militarism and national identity. It is contentious because it ultimately honors some Japanese soldiers who were convicted of war crimes in past wars with China and others. Communist China routinely complains every time a senior Japanese political leader visits Yakusuni.However, Ms. Takaichi’s visits to Yakusuni are in the tradition of the leader of her faction, the late Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022. Abe was the most successful Japanese prime minister in recent times. He was a strong ally of America and a consistent supporter of the Japanese military. He was also an effective economic leader who restarted Japan’s economy through a combination of low interest rates, tax cuts, and a soft fiscal policy. Ms. Takaichi has promised to follow the Abe model.It is likely that Takaichi will turn to the newly emerging populist parties to build out her coalition. They are conservative and almost echo President Trump in calling for a “Japan First” policy. Mr. Trump praised Ms. Takaichi’s election and said she is “a highly respected person of great wisdom and strength.”In some ways, she resembles Mr. Trump. She is different from traditional buttoned-down, cautious, and often conformist Japanese politicians. She spent part of her youth as a drummer in a heavy metal band. She rode a motorbike as a student. Her mother was a police officer. Even today Ms. Takaichi routinely does pull-ups while visiting shrines and other public buildings. It is fair to say she is clearly not your everyday Japanese leader.Her emphasis on Artificial Intelligence, semiconductors, and a much stronger military all bode well for Japan’s role in the world. In addition to her support for a close alliance with America, she has strongly indicated she wants to reach out to South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines as part of a collective security response to Communist China.I have no doubt Ms. Takaichi will be an interesting figure shaping the future of Japan and the entire East Asian region. She may be Japan’s New Iron Lady.

Japan’s New Iron Lady

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