Japan’s Heavy Metal-Drumming Prime Minister Convinces Her Nation That a Better Future Is Worth a Gamble

Sanae Takaich is enormously popular with young Japanese people, with one poll indicating she has90 percent approval among voters under 30.

Last week, I had the opportunity to spend a few days at Tokyo talking with a wide range of people. What came through clearly and forcefully is that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is going to be a major force in Japanese and East Asian life.

In October 2025, she won the largest parliamentary majority in the history of the Liberal Democratic Party, which ha…