The Iron Lady of the Rising Sun

Oscar McKevitt Flack

On Tuesday 21st October, the world witnessed the return of Margaret Thatcher (well, sort of). Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister and self-proclaimed ‘Iron Lady’, Takaichi Sanae, won a clear majority with 237 votes in the Lower House and 125 votes in the Upper House of Japan’s Diet (national legislature). Some see Sanae’s election as a big stride for gender equality in a heavily patriarchal society, while others voice concern over her hardline conservative views, for example, on same-sex marriage. The question is this: will Japan’s new leader, seen as a ‘security hawk, fiscal dove and arch social conservative’, be able to steer Japan into calmer domestic, economic, and geopolitical waters? But before this question can be answered, it is best to understand just who this ‘Iron Lady’ is and what this might entail for Japan.

Her newly acquired power and polarising, tell it like it is, style fits nicely within the current global zeitgeist

The former-drummer-turned-Thatcherite is no anti-establishment firebrand. Born in Nara in 1961 to a salaryman and a police officer, Takaichi Sanae grew up playing the drums in a heavy-metal band. Sanae entered parliament in 1993 following a short stint as a TV host. She joined the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 1996 and has been elected as an MP 10 times since. Her political standing was elevated to new heights when, on October 4th, the LDP selected her for its leadership. Her newly acquired power and polarising, tell it like it is, style fits nicely within the current global zeitgeist, providing a much-needed boost to her conservative base and ushering in a sense of dismay for her more liberal-minded critics.

Heir to Abe: Key to Success?

Whilst in parliament, Sanae found common cause with the late prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated at an election rally in 2022. The silver lining in the tragic death of Abe is that it may hold the key to a successful foreign policy for Japan’s new prime minister. Namely, the fact that Abe was a favourite of Donald Trump and the first foreign leader to visit the then president-elect, in New York in 2016, where Trump was gifted a $3,700 gold-coloured golf club. America’s mercurial president places great importance on personal chemistry and relationships, and this offered an advantage for Takaichi when her diplomatic skills and personality were tested at a recent meeting with Trump.

The ‘Iron Lady’ is committed to realising a “golden age” in Japanese-American relations and to “fundamentally reinforce” Japan’s defence posture.

The relationship with Abe seems to have worked, as attention was soon focused on the late prime minister as Trump entered Akasaka Palace, an ornate palace located in central Tokyo. As the two exchanged pleasantries, Trump remarked how “he (Abe) was a great friend of mine and a great friend of yours”. The ‘Iron Lady’ is committed to realising a “golden age” in Japanese-American relations and to “fundamentally reinforce” Japan’s defence posture. It is no wonder then that the pair quickly signed an agreement that sets out a framework to secure the mining and processing of rare earth minerals. The deal’s objective is to “assist both countries in achieving resilience and security of critical minerals and rare earth supply chains”, the White House said in a statement. 

Diplomatic Pageantry: A successful case?

The meeting between Trump and Sanae was a day full of profuse mutual praise, enabled by a mutual affection for a late prime minister. However, unlike Trump’s recent second state visit to the UK that saw him and Kier Starmer publicly acknowledge a ‘disagreement’ over the UK’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state, Takaichi seems to have navigated the American president’s first visit of her term with a resounding success. A measure of this successful flattery of an American president who holds the world hostage with his whims is that Japan’s prime minister stated that she would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to the White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt. The extent to which this is a genuine belief of Sanae’s and not just a spur-of-the-moment crowd pleaser is hard to tell, yet the bond between the two leaders seems strong at this present stage. Indeed, with his signature effusiveness, Trump stated Sanae would be one of Japan’s “greatest prime ministers” and later added that “anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there” and “You’re going to do a fantastic job, and we’re going to have a fantastic relationship”.

Only time will tell if Sanae can navigate Japan through its troubled waters.

The Land of the Rising Sun appears to have a new dawn. This new dawn is powered by Japan’s new rising star, The Iron Lady, yet several storm clouds of a political and economic nature lie on the horizon. Takaichi Sanae still faces many problems: her international credentials are still in infancy, domestically the LDP has formed a shaky coalition with Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), and a cost of living crisis has gripped the Japanese economy and population. Only time will tell if Sanae can navigate Japan through its troubled waters. If the meeting with Donald Trump gives any indication, it is that Takaichi has a firm grip at the helm, but will it hold?

Oscar McKevitt Flack