Sanae Takaichi is on track to becoming Japans' first female prime minister. Part of the discrepancy in gender equality is attributale to the acute lack of female representation in political situations - but electing Takaichi may not help closing the gender gap.
Takaichi is described as pursuing a conservative and anti-feminist agenda, and has opposed multiple legal reformations which would ostensibly benefit the equality of Japanese women. In this article, written by editorial invitation, Dr Ming Gao of the Faculty of History dives into the “Takaichi paradox” and makes comparisons to both Sweden and South Korea.
Read the full article here:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/02/sanae-takaichi-japan-first-female-prime-minister/