Who is Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s new PM? What is her background?

Sanae Takaichi’s ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), on Monday (February 9), recorded two-thirds supermajority in the parliamentary elections in Japan.

Takaichi's party alone secured 316 seats, comfortably surpassing a 261-seat absolute majority in the 465-member lower house, the most powerful body of Japan's two-chamber parliament. This win marks a record since the party's foundation in 1955.

Political career

So, who is Takaichi, known as Japan's 'Iron Lady'?

Beginning her political career in 1993, she was elected as an independent candidate to the House of Representatives of the Japanese Diet. In 1996, she joined the LDP where she held various cabinet positions under the leadership of former PM Shinzo Abe. During her tenure, she held the positions of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of State for Economic Security.

Before starting her political career, interestingly, Takaichi was a drummer, an author, legislative aide and TV host.

Also read: Japanese new PM Sanae Takaichi dismisses work-life balance; vows to 'work like a horse'

In October 2025, she created history by becoming the first woman Prime Minister of Japan and party’s first woman president.

Workaholic

Following her election as LDP leader in 2025, Takaichi pushed a rhetoric of relentless labour, telling colleagues to “work like a horse” and saying she would forget work-life balance in favour of constant work. The comments went viral, but also raised discomfort in Japan, where overwork remains a persistent concern.

Known for her conservative views, she was against same-sex marriage, recognition of separate surnames for spouses and female succession to Japanese throne.

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Takaichi is highly regarded, especially by women and the younger generation. Her popularity draws significant strength from younger supporters, who affectionately call her “Sana” and closely track everything from her fashion choices to her stationery and favourite foods.

Policy views

Takaichi is known for her supporting government spending and continuing Abenomics. Abenomics refers to Shinzo Abe’s economic strategy built on three pillars—aggressive monetary easing, flexible fiscal spending, and structural reforms—aimed at reviving growth and to end deflation in Japan.

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She has built a reputation for her firm policy views. “My goal is to become the Iron Lady,” she once said. Margaret Thatcher, known as Iron Lady, Britain’s first woman prime minister earned her reputation through a hard-line, uncompromising approach and a brand of politics driven by firm conviction.

Diplomatic ties

Takaichi, an assertive diplomat, was firm and proactive on US-Japan alliance. Her diplomatic style is often characterised as direct and strategic signalling.

Her stance is widely seen as a faster, harder-edged extension of her mentor Shinzo Abe’s “proactive pacifism”, marked by tougher language and a more overtly articulated “Japan-first” emphasis.

India-Japan relations

India and Japan align closely on the vision of a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific, working together through frameworks such as the Quad alongside the United States and Australia.

Building on the strategic outlook shaped by former prime minister Shinzo Abe, Sanae Takaichi is expected to sustain—and potentially strengthen—Japan’s engagement with India.

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Takaichi has previously described India as a key democratic partner with growing technological and manufacturing strengths. Underscoring this view, she named India as central to regional stability in her maiden address to the Japanese Parliament on October 24, 2025.

“To advance the core pillar of Japan’s diplomacy—a Free and Open Indo-Pacific—India is an indispensable partner,” she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Takaichi on her landslide victory on X and reiterating on the India-Japan partnership for global peace and stability.