Gender, Power, and Conservatism: The Takaichi Administration’s Uncertain Future

A photograph of Sanae Takaichi after she was elected as Japan’s new prime minister (Source: Philip Fong / AFP via Getty Images ) By Lily Noda ‘28 On October 4, Japanese politics reached a historic milestone when Sanae Takaichi became the first woman elected to lead the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the country’s ruling party. For a country ranking 118th out of 148 in the 2025 Global Gender Gap…