Japan’s New Iron Lady

Sanae Takaichi’s emphasis on Artificial Intelligence, semiconductors, and a much stronger military all bode well for Japan’s role in the world.

In a surprising development, Japan’s 70-year-old Liberal Democratic Party, which has dominated the nation in recent memory, has elected a woman to be the party president. Sanae Takaichi is a 32-year veteran of Japan’s legislative body, the Diet. She ran twice before for the presidency of her party and lost. This time, she defeated four men to win.

Her election could prove a real breakthrough — if her party can retain its majority in the legislature. In the last cabinet, only two members were women. In fact, only 15 percent of the members of the Diet are women, and only two of the 47 prefectural governors are women. As Ms. Takaichi put it after the election, “Now that the LDP has its first female president, its scenery will change a little.” During the campaign, she indicated she wanted considerably more women in her cabinet.

One of Ms. Takaichi’s heroes is former British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, who in 1976 was dubbed “the Iron Lady” by a Soviet journalist — a title she proudly kept for the rest of her life. Now, for Ms. Takaichi to become Prime Minister Takaichi, she must put together a coalition in Japan. While the LDP is by far the largest party in the Diet, it does not have a majority. She faces a fascinating balancing act. The Komeito Party, traditionally the largest coalition ally for the LDP, is more centrist and less aggressive than the LDP.