Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about economics, markets and policymaking throughout Asia. Sanae Takaichi, newly-elected leader of the Liberal Democratic ...

Takaichi’s election represents a historic breakthrough in a country where gender parity in leadership has long lagged behind its economic sophistication. Yet investors shouldn’t mistake her gender ...

For many young girls in Japan today, the image of Sanae Takaichi taking the helm of power as the country's first ever female leader is powerful and formative. It means a patriarchal society and a ...

TAKAICHI SANAE, a conservative hardliner, has become Japan’s 104th prime minister, and the first woman to hold the job. Japan’s Diet voted to approve her nomination on October 21st, following her ...

Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first policy speech in the parliament, in Tokyo, Japan, October 24, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Renowned Japan expert Sheila Smith ...

TOKYO — Sanae Takaichi, a star of ultraconservative Japanese politics and a rare woman to rise in its male-dominated hierarchy, has been elected the country’s first female prime minister. Takaichi, 64 ...

TOKYO (AP) — In a country that ranks poorly internationally for gender equality, the new president of Japan’s long-governing Liberal Democrats, and likely next prime minister, is an ultra-conservative ...

TOKYO -- Japan's parliament on Tuesday elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country's first female prime minister, and she underlined her commitment to boosting Japanese defense as she ...

Japan could soon see its first female prime minister, with Sanae Takaichi emerging among the front runners in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership race, a significant achievement in a ...