In the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) almost continuous 70-year streak governing Japan, it had never had a female leader. That changed on Saturday (October 4) as LDP members and lawmakers elected the hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi to be the party's new leader and Japan's likely new prime minister.

Tokyo

Japan's Liberal Democrat Party has elected Sanae Takahichi as its leader, making her the likely next prime minister and the first woman to hold the position in the party's nearly 70-year history. Takahichi is recognized for her nationalistic views and support for former premier Shinzo Abe's economic policies, but she has consistently maintained conservative positions on social issues, including opposition to same-sex marriage and legal reforms seen as advancing gender equality.

While Takahichi's election is a landmark for Japan, which ranks low on global gender equality indices, campaigners and critics question whether her leadership will bring substantive change for women. Gender equality was not a central theme in her campaign, and skepticism remains about her willingness to implement policies such as quota systems to boost female representation in leadership. Takahichi has pledged to include more women in her cabinet, but observers remain cautious about the prospects for significant progress.

Japan set for first woman prime minister, but equality doubts remain

For the first time in 70 years of almost unbroken rule, Japan's Liberal Democrat Party has chosen a woman as its leader. On Saturday, hardline conservative Sanae Takahichi was elected to head the party, making her Japan's likely next prime minister. A landmark moment in a country that ranks 118th out of 148 nations on the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report. That's the lowest among G7 countries. Takahichi is well known for her nationalistic views and her strong support for former premier Shinzo Abe's Abenomics, economic stimulus policy. However, throughout her career she has consistently maintained socially conservative positions. Critics cite her opposition to same-sex marriage and legal changes such as allowing married couples to have separate surnames, policies often seen as indicators of progress on gender equality in Japan. Opinion polls showed that Takahichi's stance on these issues make her more popular among men than women. Momoko Nojo is a gender equality campaigner and founder of No Youth No Japan, a non-profit that aims to boost young people's participation in politics. She questions Takahichi's commitment to changing Japan's gender status quo, expressing concerns about possible setbacks in gender equality policies. When it comes to fundamentally changing the current reality where many women must shoulder the burden of care while managing their lives, I think that will be difficult. I also question whether her ideology allows for it. I find it very limited and I'm concerned that in terms of gender equality policy, there could be some steps backward. Takahichi now joins Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike as one of Japan's most prominent female leaders. However, women still hold just 18% of management positions in the capital city's government, underscoring the persistent gender gap in leadership roles. Despite the historic nature of Takahichi's election, gender equality was not a major issue in her campaign, which focused on inflation and law-breaking foreigners. Still, Takahichi has promised to include more women in her cabinet, similar to Nordic countries, where female ministers range from 36% in Denmark to 61% in Finland. Currently, only 10% of outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's cabinet are women. Nojo remains sceptical that Takahichi's leadership will bring immediate change. In a society where people who find the status quo most comfortable hold power, change happens slowly. That's why I believe we actually need approaches like quota systems and administrative measures to influence decision-making. When it comes to whether Takahichi is considering such things, she is absolutely not. That's why we can't expect much, even if we get a female prime minister.

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Breakdown