CIVICUS speaks with Akio Takayanagi, professor and policy adviser at the Japan NGO Centre for International Co-operation, about Japan’s first female prime minister and what her rise to power means for the country and region.

Following a major scandal and electoral losses, Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) chose the conservative politician Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister on 21 October. The LDP then formed a coalition with the far-right Japan Innovation Party after its longstanding coalition partner walked away. While Takaichi’s election breaks a symbolic barrier in a country globally ranked 118th for gender equality, her hardline positions on immigration and LGBTQI+ and women’s rights, combined with an assertive security agenda, mean human rights advances are unlikely.

How would you describe the political situation that led to Takaichi’s rise to power?

Japan is going through a major political shift. Sanae Takaichi became prime minister when the LDP changed leadership after former prime minister Shigeru Ishiba stepped down. His resignation followed losses in the 2024 House of Representatives election, the 2025 House of Councillors election and several local polls.

The LDP’s decline was largely driven by a high-profile slush-fund scandal, particularly involving members of the faction led by assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as well as prolonged inflation that deeply affected daily life.

These political losses opened space for populist and far-right parties such as the Japan Innovation Party and Sanseito. Hardline conservative voters began shifting towards them, and many believe the LDP chose Takaichi in the hope she will help recover their support, as her views are closer to theirs.

Once she took office, the LDP’s longstanding coalition partner Komeito walked away in disagreement with her hardline agenda, so Takaichi formed a coalition with the Japan Innovation Party. The agreement includes a push for constitutional changes, including addition of a state of emergency clause and formal recognition of the self-defence forces by revising article 9 of the constitution, which renounces war and prohibits the unmaintainable of military forces. They also agreed to pursue a more aggressive security policy. However, tensions have already emerged in the coalition, particularly over the Japan Innovation Party’s demand to reduce the number of members of parliament, a proposal the LDP and most opposition parties view cautiously.

What does Takaichi’s approach to defence mean for regional security?

Takaichi has been clear she wants a much more assertive security policy. She has said she will review Japan’s Three Non-Nuclear Principles – to not possess, produce or permit the entry of nuclear weapons – and has suggested Japan should allow nuclear weapons on its territory. She also wants to loosen restrictions on arms exports.

More significantly, she told parliament a Chinese attack on Taiwan would create a ‘survival-threatening situation’ for Japan. Japanese political leaders, including hardline conservatives, have long avoided clarifying what a potential Taiwan crisis would mean for Japan’s security, and Takaichi is the first prime minister to make such a remark. Analysts are divided on why she stepped into such a sensitive area: some say she was merely careless and underestimated the regional consequences, while others believe she did it deliberately to consolidate hardline conservative support. Recently, although Takaichi refused to retract the remark, she said she didn’t initially intend to refer to a specific case to be considered as a ‘survival-threatening situation’, but thought that continuing ambivalent remarks would lead to suspension of the session in parliament.

Takaichi’s rhetoric signals a shift towards a more confrontational approach that risks further destabilising the region. China has responded harshly, warning its citizens against travelling to Japan.

What are Takaichi’s positions on gender and migrants’ rights?

Takaichi has a long history of opposing feminism, gender equality and women’s rights. A clear example is her resistance to amending the Civil Code to allow married couples to choose different surnames. Japan is the only country in the world that legally requires couples to share a surname, and around 95 per cent of couples choose the husband’s surname, reflecting deeply entrenched patriarchal norms. The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has repeatedly recommended changing this law, but conservatives, including Takaichi, have blocked reform for decades. And despite campaign promises to reach ‘Nordic levels’ of female representation, she appointed only two women to her cabinet.

Takaichi also opposed the 2021 Act on the Promotion of Public Understanding of the Diversity of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, although she ultimately voted for it in line with party instructions. Although she’s said LGBTQI+ people should not face discrimination, she clearly opposes the recognition of same-sex marriage.

Her stance on migrants and refugees is equally concerning. She has expressed xenophobic views, including spreading disinformation during her leadership campaign by suggesting foreigners were harming deer in the Nara region. Since taking office, she has repeatedly emphasised the need for a ‘well-ordered inclusive society’, implying foreign residents should strictly conform to Japanese norms. She has also indicated she may tighten rules on foreigners buying property.

What could her government mean for civic space?

While she has spoken little on issues related to civic space since coming to office, Takaichi’s past statements raise serious media freedom concerns. In 2016, when she served as Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, she suggested the government could suspend broadcasters deemed insufficiently neutral on political issues, including those critical of proposed constitutional changes.

Her rhetoric often echoes hardline conservative and far-right narratives, emphasising the need to ‘balance’ civil and political freedoms with Japan’s ‘tradition and culture of harmony’. This framing can easily be used to justify limiting dissent and narrowing the space for debate.

Civil society organisations are preparing for potential challenges. Peace, women’s rights and other rights-based groups are monitoring developments closely, concerned that conservative groups could start portraying them as promoters of foreign or leftist values, a strategy seen in other countries to delegitimise critical voices.

As progressive parties continue to lose ground, strengthening support for human rights and democratic norms is becoming a major challenge.

What should the international community prioritise?

The international community should be cautious about framing Takaichi’s leadership as a victory for women’s representation. She may be the first woman to become prime minister, but she opposes key gender equality and women’s rights initiatives.

It’s crucial to monitor her security policies and their implications for the region and assess whether her government upholds international standards on human rights and gender equality. It’s equally important to pay attention to the far right’s growing influence on Japan’s political landscape.