◆ Jiang Feng, chief writer of "Japan Overseas Chinese News"
The room in the Japanese House of Representatives' dormitory in赤坂, Tokyo, is often bright and quiet at night. The high-market early morning before being the prime minister of Japan came home late at night, and when he took off his heels, he always used to look at the kitchen - it was the "castle" of her husband, Yamamoto, who was nine years older than her. The pot was hot, or cheese pot, or beef dishes. The high-market morning morning said to the media: "My husband will not ask me what I won today, only ask, eat first or take a shower first?"
Today, takaichi sanae has become the first "tough female prime minister" in Japanese history, advocating constitutional amendment, strengthening defense and being tough with the outside world. But at home, she is just a wife silently waiting for her husband to go home.
Their story is not a fierce love legend, but more like a pot of slow-fire stew, where the taste has to be boiled out for time.
Remember it was in 2004, when the high-market prime minister defeated the congressional election and was disappointed. Samantha called the phone, and there was no political discourse, only a silly petition: “I have a chef license, and you can eat delicious food for the rest of my life. Even though I have divorced, but if you want, we will spend the day together.” she kept silent for a moment and said “yes.” In September, they held a wedding in Osaka and Tokyo, and then Prime Minister Zhang Xiaobo and former Prime Minister Shen Zhang came to congratulate.
However, they are not always in the same camp. In the 2012 self-government party chairman election, the high-market morning sunset was strongly supported by Abe, and Yamamoto supported Shapiro. In order not to leak the secret, Yamamoto hardly spoke, and then went to the bathroom to hide the phone. Yamamoto cooked, she sat down and ate, silent with each other, but did not leave the table. This is the Japanese marriage - not expressed, but kept.
Silence became distance after all. On July 19, 2017, Sanae Takaichi announced her divorce for a simple reason: "Different political positions." They didn't argue, just closed their doors each and took their names off the doorbell.
However, emotions will not disappear just because the document takes effect. In 2021, Takashi Saami decided to run for president of the Liberal Democratic Party. The first person to stand up to support her was her ex-husband Taku Yamamoto, who had lost his constituency seat. He said: "Zaomiao knows better than anyone else the path she wants to take. I just hope that she will not go alone."
In December of that year, they got married again. Yamamoto changed his surname from "Yamamoto" to "High Market". Some people joked that he was "in a burden", but he put his hand: "Not in a burden, it's home."The wedding party was held three times, six thousand guests were seated. She explained: "The standing party is easily misunderstood as borrowing gifts to raise political donations, sitting to eat, the cost increased, and no one misunderstood."
During Takaichi Sanae's tenure as Minister of General Affairs and General Affairs, Yamamoto continued to cook as usual. Takaichi Sanae often goes home after eleven o'clock in the evening, so he turns the heat down and keeps the hot soup. He said, "The kitchen is my castle, and she can't just come in." It sounds like a joke, but it is the softest guardian.
At the beginning of 2025, Yamamoto suddenly suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, leaving an aftermath. High market early morning debate, signing documents during the day, at night for him blood pressure measurement, feeding medication. Some journalists asked her not to work hard, she said gently: "He waited for me to say 'I came back,' now, in exchange for me to wait for him to say 'it's okay.'"
He said to the media: “In Japan’s political culture, the spouse is better not to be too prominent. I’m willing to be an invisible person, not to drag her back legs.” “They have two children, four grandchildren. Sometimes grandchildren come to the dormitory to eat and ask, “Grandpa, did you really be a member of the parliament before?” he smiled, “Now I’m a national family master, your grandmother is the prime minister.”
Late at night in Tokyo, tower lights twinkled outside the window. Inside the house, two people who went through quarrels, silence, divorce, and remarriage continued their long and ordinary days in the heat of the fondue.
Some people say that politics makes people lonely. But the story of sanae takaichi proves that even if you reach the top of power, there are still people guarding the lamp at home for you, waiting for you to go home.