Who is Sanae Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister?

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published October 28, 2025 at 8:49 AM PDT

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, with President Donald Trump, reacts as she was speaking to members of the military aboard the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier docked at an American naval base, in Yokosuka, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

Sanae Takaichi’s ascent to lead Japan surprised the country’s political elite. The conservative became the country’s first female prime minister this month. She just signed a rare-earth minerals deal and a document pledging to a new “golden age” of U.S.-Japan relations with President Trump.

Host Scott Tong gets the latest from Kiyoteru Tsutsui. He’s the director of the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center and the Japan Program at Stanford University.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Related Content

Cover of Desert Companion magazine featuring a Black female healthcare worker with natural curly hair wearing a white medical coat, stethoscope, and blue surgical mask. She has her arms crossed and is looking directly at the camera.

The Health Issue

How is Las Vegas' healthcare system really doing, and what does it mean for you and your family? Desert Companion's Health Issue takes a deep dive into these questions and explores how heart-centered business leaders prove that doing good benefits the bottom line.