On October 4, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan, the headquarters of the Liberal Democratic Party once again became the stage of focus at home and abroad. In the runoff election of the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, sanae takaichi, former Minister of Economic Security, defeated Koizumi Shinjiro, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and became the 29th president of the Liberal Democratic Party.
For more than a century since the constitution, Japan’s prime ministry has been exclusively held by men. All 102 prime ministers, ranging from Ito Bovoon to Shikoku, are all men. Today, the victory of the high market means that Japan is likely to have the first female prime minister in history. The media describes this as the moment when the “glass ceiling” of Japanese politics is broken.
For ordinary voters, the symbolic significance of a female prime minister can't be ignored. In a society where the gap between men and women has long been at the bottom of developed countries, 64-year-old Takaichi's position at least makes Japan seem to have caught up with the times on the international stage. But as Koichi Nakano, a professor at Sophia University, puts it: "When the male-dominated social environment does not change, the coming of a female prime minister will not have much impact on the gender gap in Japanese society." In other words, her ascension to the position is both a break and an illusion.
The deeper political significance is that the self-government party has chosen such a conservative colourful, Abe line successor, including diplomatic difficulties, trying to reunite traditional voters and stabilize the power pattern within the party. The personal characteristics of the high market are important, but her reason for winning, to a greater extent, comes from the strategic needs of the self-government party conservatives.
Conservative flagship: from the "Abe Girl" to the Commander of the Valve
Takashi's political trajectory is closely linked to Shinzo Abe. In 1993, she first entered the National Assembly as a non-partisan, and then moved between small parties until she entered the Liberal Democratic Party in 1996 and joined the Qinghe Policy Research Association, which later became the Abe faction with Shinzo Abe as the core. Since then, she has gradually become a pawn in the conservative camp.
In 2006, when Abe became prime minister for the first time, Takashi entered the cabinet as an extraordinary minister. When Abe came to power again in 2012, she was appointed as the chairman of the Political Bureau, becoming one of the "troika" within the party and the first female president of the Political Bureau. Abe's support for her is not accidental. Her tough stance and insistence on constitutional amendment and security issues are highly consistent with Abe. She and Tomomi Inada are called "Abe Girl", leaving a clear label in Japanese politics.
However, the road for Takaichi is not smooth. In 2021, she ran for the president of the Liberal Democratic Party for the first time. Although she received strong support from the Abe faction, she failed to enter the final round due to her lack of popularity and difficulty in winning the favor of the centrists. In 2024, she won the first round of voting, but she was competing with
Today, a year later, she finally reversed the trend. Instead of being a personal counterattack, rather than being the result of a party-valley game. In the past year, the self-government party under the rule of Sharp failed to stop the loss of conservative votes, and the unrest in the party rose. In this context, former Abe, Machinists and part of the second-class parliamentarians collectively bet on the high market. Former governor Yoshin Tada Liu Yi even openly expressed support, linking the historical significance of the "first female prime minister" with the restoration of the conservative.
The victory of the High Market was a re-alliance of the Conservatives within the Party after the division and turmoil. Her personal experience and gender did make the news headlines more eye-catching, but in the logic of power within the Party, she was also the chess player and agent of the Conservatives who continued the Abe line.
Political hard core: constitutional, economic and social difficulties
High City’s policy position has always been clear: constitutional reform, strong army, conservative. She believes that self-defense must be written into Article 9 of the Constitution to eliminate the controversy of “self-defense unconstitutional.” This claim has a huge controversy in Japanese society. Supporters emphasize that this is the inevitable choice of “realism”; opponents worry that it will completely rewrite the foundation of post-war Japanese pacifism. High City’s insistence makes her a “iron pillar” in the eyes of conservatives, and also keeps surrounding countries vigilant.
Economically, the city continues.
In addition, Japan’s minority crisis has intensified, the labor force has shrunk, and the social burden has increased. On the one hand, the high market acknowledges the need for foreign labor force supplementation, but on the other hand stresses the need for caution to advance so as not to exacerbate social contradictions. She also uses the example of “Nairai’s deer” to express dissatisfaction with the behavior of foreign tourists. Although the incident itself lacks evidence, it reflects her sensitivity and exclusion to foreign populations.
In terms of social policy, she clearly opposes female emperors and "selective couples with different surnames." This not only consolidates her conservative image, but also makes the freedom party strongly dissatisfied with her. With Japan's gender equality ranking at the bottom for a long time, if Takashi really becomes the first female prime minister, the irony is obvious: her existence does not mean that there will be a real breakthrough in women's issues.
Diplomatic test: steel thread between Trump and China
For the high market, the biggest diplomatic challenge is how to deal with U.S. President Trump. The Japan-U.S. Investment Memorandum signed in September this year involves funds of up to 80 trillion yen, and investment projects will be personally designated by Trump. The high market said in a television show that if investment damages national interests, it will consider renegotiating. This statement releases a signal that she is not fully obedient to Washington, but whether she can hold on to Trump’s tough stance remains unknown.
In addition to the United States, Takashi's attitude towards China policy is also worthy of attention. She stressed that China, Russia and North Korea are deepening relations, and Japan must be highly vigilant; But at the same time, it is recognized that China is an indispensable trading partner and needs to promote summit exchanges. This "dual-track thinking" of prevention with one hand and cooperation with the other is regarded as a pragmatic gesture among conservatives.
Relations with South Korea are more sensitive. The issue of Yasukuni Shrine and history textbooks may all become diplomatic thunderpoints during her term of office. In the election debate, she avoided the question of whether to continue to visit the Yasukuni Shrine, showing her caution. But even with a vague response, Korean public opinion will inevitably remain on high alert.
At this point, if Takaichi really becomes prime minister, the situation she will face will be more complicated than any previous term: on the one hand, she must maintain the alliance with the United States, and on the other hand, she must avoid comprehensive conflicts between China and South Korea. intensification, and also deal with regional tensions in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war. These tests will determine her historical evaluation.
The Double Sword of Female Identity
The appearance of high-market early days has been portrayed by many media as "Japanese women's moments".
Under the male-dominated pattern of Japanese politics, the female prime minister itself is eye-catching enough. But Gao Shi's political capital has never been because she is a woman, but because she can represent the interests of conservatives. Her gender identity is more a tool for political narrative than a foundation for power.
Gao Shi himself did not use "women's rights" as a banner. On the contrary, she often takes a conservative stance on key issues, such as firmly opposing female emperors and opposing couples having different surnames. Such a position means that she is more like a guardian of the traditional order than a promoter of gender equality. Female identity has become an "irony" here: she became the first female prime minister, but society may mistakenly believe that Japan's gender gap is improving.
International comparisons also provide a sober reference. Britain's Margaret Thatcher was known for her iron fist, but she did not promote feminist policies, but instead consolidated her conservative platform. South Korea's Park Geun-hye is also a woman, but her rule did not change South Korea's patriarchal structure and eventually stepped down due to scandal. If Takashi takes office, there is a high probability that Japan will repeat this trajectory: female leaders do not necessarily lead to the advancement of women's issues.
At the same time, female identity may also become a political shield for Takaichi. Faced with the disappointment of factions and voters in the party, her status as the "first person in history" can temporarily win attention and expectation. For the Liberal Democratic Party, which has been caught in a long-term fatigue, this is an opportunity to update its image. Takaichi herself knows this well. During the election campaign, she promised to raise the proportion of women in the cabinet and party leadership to the Nordic level. But in Japanese political culture, real structural change requires greater systemic reform, rather than relying on personal gestures.
Her contradiction is that if she emphasizes female identity, she may be asked by liberals to take responsibility beyond her capacity; if she continues to rely on a conservative line, her gender ring may quickly fade.
Historical breakthrough and realistic burden
As the 29th chairman of the Self-Democratic Party, she almost nailed to become Japan’s first female prime minister. This breakthrough was undoubtedly symbolic in the form – it made Japan seem to have finally crossed the threshold of gender politics.
However, the weight of history is far more than the “first person” ring. The high market is carried by a country in multiple difficulties: economic stagnation, fiscal burden, minority crisis, social division, and geopolitical danger. Her upper position is not because Japanese society is prepared to accept female prime ministers, but the Self-Democratic Party has chosen the most suitable player in the game of power and the loss of the box office.
Her line is clear: conservative, constitutional amendment, strengthening security, facing foreigners cautiously, and maintaining Abenomics. But the route itself is controversial. Can the Liberal Democratic Party save people's hearts under her leadership? Will constitutional amendment further stimulate domestic and foreign contradictions? Is economic policy just a stopgap measure to delay the crisis? There is no answer to any of this.
In terms of diplomacy, she has to face Trump. In the face of the "US President directly designates investment projects" clause, she has released reservations, but whether she can really negotiate with Trump, and the outside world is not optimistic. At the same time, she wants to walk the steel thread between China's economic trade and China's vigilance, and also to avoid a comprehensive deterioration of relations with South Korea.
In a deeper sense, the emergence of Takashi is a mirror of Japanese politics. It reflects the reintegration of conservatives and reveals the stubbornness of the social structure. Feminine identity is here a rhetoric, not a driving force for change. As some scholars have reminded, the emergence of a female prime minister does not automatically mean progress in women's rights. The real test lies in whether systems and policies can be changed.
Thus, the victory of the high market was a breakthrough and a burden. She could be both a new symbol of the Conservative line of the Democratic Party and another footprint in Japan's political trouble. In any case, this moment in 2025 in Japan finally welcomed the historic "female prime minister", but waiting for her would be a far more cruel reality than symbolism.