It took three tries for Sanae Takaichi to be known as Japan’s ¨Iron Lady.¨ Takaichi was born in Nara, Japan, and graduated from Kobe University, which has a long history of international academic exchange. When she was in Kobe, she was a fan of heavy metal music and motorcycles, as well as an amateur drummer, according,
After graduation, she went to Mitsuhita Institute of Government and Management, where her interest in politics sparked. Her education is quite different from other political members in her party, as they graduated from the University of Tokyo or Harvard. She entered Japanese politics in the 1990s as a member of the male-dominated Liberal Democratic Party.
Before Takaichi was the prime minister of Japan, she was a protégé of Shinzo Abe. She is expected to move Japan to the farther right side of politics. In response to reports that compare her to Donald Trump’s MAGA movements, she stated that ¨Japan is back¨ and promised more strict regulation on immigration and tourism.
She is open to the outside world. But she also understands that we have to be really good at Japanese. We have to know our own culture, traditions, philosophy, and history,” said Yoshiko Sakurai as reported by the New York Times. Sakuria is a political activist and journalist.
Tackaich has to face uncertainty about Japan’s military and economic alliance with the U.S. As of August 7, Japan has faced a 15 percent tariff on most of its American exports.
When Trump went to meet Tackaichi on October 22, he was welcomed with a full military guard and an honored band. In the past, Trump has criticized Japan for the lack of funding it put into its defense. Over lunch, Trump congratulated Tackaich for becoming Japan’s first female Prime Minister. Both leaders are considered friends with Japan’s past Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
“She was a great ally and friend of Abe, who was my friend… He was one of the best… I know they were very close, and I think philosophically they were close, which is very good¨ Trump said..Takaichi described Trump as “a partner in a new golden era.”This conversation was reported by BBC
She also announced that Japan will be nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. In return, Trump said that Takaichi was a close friend and described the alliance with Japan as a “beautiful friendship that was born out of the ashes of a terrible war,¨this was said by the BBC
During the working lunch, Takaichi showed Trump a map of the investments Japan has made in American companies. Trump wants more access to Japan’s market and wants the country to invest in buying U.S. auto vehicles.
Tackaichi wants to protect Japan’s domestic business despite Tokyo’s dependence on exports. The city can´t afford a tariff fight, especially with automobiles. Tokyo was once facing a 24 percent tariff by the United States, but it has been lowered to 15 percent in recent months.
Rintaro Nishimura, senior associate at the Asia Group, said, “Takaichi will have to walk a very fine line, maybe tone down some of her more hawkish tendencies on China… but also assure Trump that the US-Japan relationship is the most important.”
