Meet Sanae Takaichi, heavy metal drummer turned first female prime minister of Japan

Hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi became the first female prime minister of Japan on Tuesday, October 21. This win came a few weeks after Takaichi became the president of the Liberal Democratic Party. According to the BBC, this was Takaichi's third attempt at being the Prime Minister of Japan.

Born in March 1961 in Nara Prefecture, Sanae Takaichi did her graduation from Nara Prefectural Unebi High School. Further in her career, she attended Kobe University and then went to Matsushita Institute as well. According to reports by The New York Times, Takaichi was an amateur drummer and was fond of bands like Iron Maiden and Deep Purple. Along with being a drummer, she also rode motorcycles in her youth. 

According to NBC News reports, Takaichi had been deeply inspired by British conservative leader Margaret Thatcher. Her election as the country's prime minister has reportedly come during a crucial time for their coalition with the US, given US President Trump is set to visit Japan next week.

As far as Takaichi's personal life is concerned, she tied the knot with Taku Yamamoto back in 2004. While they have no children together, she has adopted Yamamoto's kids from his previous marriage. Yamamoto and Takaichi went through a divorce a few years back in 2017. At the time, the now Prime Minister cited differences in political views as one of the reasons behind the divorce.

The two got remarried in 2021, and Sanae Takaichi became Taku Yamamoto's caregiver after he suffered from cerebral infarction this year.

According to critics, Sanae Takaichi's victory might not be a win for women in general

While it is true that Sanae Takaichi has become the first female Prime Minister of Japan, critics are not considering it a victory for women in the society. Jeff Kingston, a professor of Asian studies and history at Temple University's Japan campus, told NBC News,

"One would like to say this is a historic moment in Japan. But it's really hard to make that case, given her rather poor track record on empowering women."

According to the outlet, Sanae Takaichi is known for her stance of opposing same-sex marriage. She has also expressed her take in favor of restricting succession to men only in Japan's royal household. Takaichi was also against changing the norms to make it convenient for women to keep their maiden names even after marriage.

For the unversed, Japan is reportedly the only nation in the world where married couples are supposed to share the same surname. Meanwhile, Kingston was not the only one who did not seem positive about Sanae Takaichi's election as the prime minister.

After Takaichi became her party's president earlier this month, Japanese feminist author Chizuko Ueno said that the prospect of Japan getting its first female prime minister "doesn't make me happy." Ueno even wrote in a tweet that Takaichi "sees herself as the Japanese version of Thatcher."

Meanwhile, Sanae Takaichi has chosen to focus more on ensuring better health facilities for women. According to reports by NBC News, she has opened up about her struggles with menopause and believes in spreading awareness.

She reportedly believed it was important "so that men can properly understand when women are struggling, whether at school or in the workplace." Many netizens have shared varied reactions to Takaichi's victory.