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To numerous female youth in Japan today, the sight of Sanae Takaichi taking the helm as the country's inaugural female leader is powerful and influential.

It means a patriarchal society and a political system that has historically been controlled by men is now led by a female.

But while the optics speak of a forward-thinking era, certain females do not view her as an champion of progress.

It was rather interesting to see how people outside Japan have responded to the news,” Ayda Ogura states.

People are saying, ‘wow, she's the first female prime minister in Japanese history and that would be a great opportunity for female advancement and equal rights in Japan’.

In my opinion that's a rather simplistic interpretation.”

Conversely, Ms Ogura highlights her “ideological stance and what she stands for,” noting: “She perpetuates the male-dominated structure.”

A big fan of Margaret Thatcher, Sanae Takaichi has always wanted to be the “Steel Magnolia” of her country.

Similar to Thatcher, Takaichi is a firm conservative.

Observers say her ascension is a tactical move from the ruling LDP to appeal to the increasingly right-leaning base which had lately shifted towards Japan's more extreme conservative groups.

The leader is against same-sex marriage and has long stood against laws that would allow spouses to have different last names, preventing many females from retaining their maiden names.

Additionally, she is against women being in line for succession in the imperial family.

Nonetheless, she did soften some of her statements during her campaign – saying she favours giving financial benefits to companies that offer childcare facilities to their employees and spoke of possible tax breaks for households investing in child-rearing.

But she has historically supported the notion of a conventional position for women in the community and in the home.

When it comes to gender matters, Takaichi is consistent with her nation's less than impressive performance on equality concerns.

Japan's Inequality in Context

Women in Japan are among the most highly educated and most skilled in the world and yet they face challenges with the expectations of a traditional culture that still pushes them into conventional positions.

According to the 2025 gender gap index by the World Economic Forum, Japan placed 118th out of among 148 nations, with female representation in the political arena notably low.

Top roles have traditionally been dominated by men and Japan has faced difficulties to boost the number of women legislators and business leaders.

The world's fourth largest economy places at the bottom among the G7 countries when it comes to the percentage of females in its legislative body. In detail, females constitute about 15.7% of legislators in Japan, the lowest figure among the seven major economies.

Progress is also sluggish when it comes to women's reproductive health: recently was it announced that the “emergency” pill – a type of post-coital birth control sold over the counter in more than 90 nations – had finally been approved for non-prescription sales in Japan.

Mixed Responses to the Historic Leadership

Even so, some see Takaichi's rise to power as a pivotal moment that could change how females perceive their prospects.

“There is great significance in the new prime minister assuming the role of prime minister, with a broader impact on the public,” a former mayor – who became the country's youngest female mayor in 2012 – told local media.

Koshi argued Japan electing a female prime minister will “lower psychological barriers” for women and girls, helping them feel it is normal to “excel” as authorities in companies and the community, even as biased expectations and norms still remain.

However a 20-year-old notes that, while it is remarkable Japan has its first female prime minister, one must remember it required her more than 30 years to get to that position.

“Additionally, she is not truly challenging the norm. She's saying the identical views as the male politicians.”

Ms Hill-Uekawa further states that she ought not be placed on a platform simply because she is a woman.

“It is essential to ensure we're talking about her agenda. We need to be capable of evaluate her fairly as everyone else.”

Political Background and Associations

It is not only what Takaichi has stated which has led people to label her as a supporter of the male-dominated system.

It's also apparent by who her supporters within the LDP have been.

She's the protégé of the deceased former hawkish prime minister a previous leader, and was backed in the leadership election by Taro Aso – a prominent member in the LDP at the leadership of one of the government's most powerful right-wing factions.

His faction's backing for Sanae Takaichi was pivotal in consolidating the conservative wing behind her.

“I do feel that it is difficult for females to somewhat relate to her achievement because it promotes this notion that we must be compliant with the existing system,” 21-year-old a citizen says.

Ms Ogura concurs, saying that with her as a symbol for females in government, “the public are likely to anticipate the identical from us as too”.

“They're going to expect us to be conforming, not go against the beliefs that they have, and it could render our job harder.”

Upcoming Challenges and Anticipations

Achieving this milestone, though, was only the initial of the difficulties Takaichi will encounter – including tackling a slow growth and rising prices and regaining the trust of a frustrated and angry voting public, as in addition to hosting the US leader within days of assuming office.

It's safe to say that no-one expects women's rights matters to be a top priority on her priority list.