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October 21, 2025

Sanae Takaichi, Opponent of Gender Equality, Becomes Japan's First Female Prime Minister
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In Japan, former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi has made
history as the nation's first female prime minister. Takaichi is an
archconservative protégé of the late former leader Shinzo Abe who ran
under the slogan "Japan First." She holds a revisionist view of Japan's
history in World War II and is a regular visitor to the Yasukuni Shrine,
where some convicted war criminals are memorialized. Takaichi is a
longtime admirer of Britain's first female prime minister, Margaret
Thatcher. She has consistently opposed legislation that would allow
women to keep their maiden names after marriage. She's also opposed to
marriage equality.


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