Japan’s New Prime Minister: A Heavy Metal Drummer Rises to Power

As a young woman in the late 1970s, Sanae Takaichi commuted six hours daily by bus and train from her family home in western Japan to attend university. She was a fervent fan of heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden and Deep Purple, a proud owner of a Kawasaki motorcycle, and harbored a strong desire for independence. Yet, her mother initially forbade her from living in a boardinghouse before marriage, a common expectation for women at the time.

“I dreamed of having my own castle,” Ms. Takaichi vividly recalled in her 1992 memoir.

On Tuesday, Ms. Takaichi achieved an unprecedented milestone, winning the election to become Japan’s prime minister — the first woman ever to hold the nation’s highest political office. This victory represents the pinnacle of an extraordinary political ascent and a significant moment in a country where women have historically struggled for influence in public life.

At 64, Ms. Takaichi, who hails from near the ancient Japanese capital of Nara, is a figure who defies simple categorization. She has openly discussed the difficulties women face in Japanese politics, yet she now leads the Liberal Democratic Party, a traditionally male-dominated and conservative organization. She has voiced reservations about Japan’s over-reliance on the United States, but also expressed a desire to forge strong ties with President Trump. Her passion for heavy metal drumming and artists like Iron Maiden stands in stark contrast to her other inspiration: the late former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, whom she honors by wearing signature blue suits.

As a protégée of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister who was tragically assassinated in 2022, Ms. Takaichi is widely expected to steer Japan further to the right. Her agenda resonates with a recent populist surge, drawing parallels to Mr. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. She has advocated for assertive policies regarding China, championed the slogan “Japan is back,” downplayed Japan’s wartime atrocities during World War II, and vowed to implement stricter regulations on immigration and tourism.

“She wants to make Japan strong and prosperous for the people of Japan and for the world,” explained Yoshiko Sakurai, a prominent journalist and activist who has publicly supported Ms. Takaichi. “She is open to the outside world. But she also understands that we have to be really good Japanese. We have to know our own culture, traditions, philosophy and history.”

Ms. Takaichi’s leadership will face an immediate challenge as she navigates new uncertainties surrounding Japan’s military and economic alliance with the United States. She is scheduled to meet with Mr. Trump in Tokyo next week; the former U.S. president has previously unsettled Japanese officials with his proposals for tariffs and demands that Japan contribute more financially to the upkeep of American troops in the region.

Unlike many Japanese politicians who emerge from privileged, elite backgrounds, Ms. Takaichi grew up in modest circumstances in Nara Prefecture, a region renowned for its ancient temples, sacred shrines, lush forests, and rolling green hills. Her mother served in the police department, and her father worked at a car parts manufacturing company.

Motoko Shimada, a childhood friend, fondly recalled her pigtailed classmate’s generosity. On a school trip, Ms. Takaichi shared homemade onigiri (rice balls) and rolled omelets with students who had forgotten their lunchboxes.

“She was very smiley and very reserved,” Ms. Shimada reminisced. “She didn’t have this strong-woman image. But she was able to notice when someone was not blending in well or struggling, and she was able to help them.”

From an early age, Ms. Takaichi demonstrated an acute awareness of the societal pressures Japanese women faced. Her mother, she recounted in a 2024 biography by Eiji Ohshita, instructed her to be a “crimson rose,” urging her to “retain feminine grace while possessing the thorns to confront wrongdoing.”

Despite gaining admission to prestigious private institutions in Tokyo, her parents urged her to attend Kobe University, a state school located approximately 50 miles northwest of her hometown. They believed a university education was unnecessary for a girl, Ms. Takaichi later stated in interviews, as they wished to save resources for her younger brother. (Ms. Takaichi declined, through a representative, to be interviewed for this article.)

After graduating, Ms. Takaichi enrolled in the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, a renowned training ground for aspiring politicians and business leaders. In the late 1980s, her interest shifted to the United States, Japan’s primary economic rival at the time. She secured an internship in the office of former Representative Patricia Schroeder of Colorado, a notable Democrat and ardent feminist.

Ms. Takaichi had been deeply moved by Ms. Schroeder’s tearful 1987 speech announcing her decision not to run for president. Ms. Takaichi sent a telegram to Ms. Schroeder, encouraging her to consider running again in the future and offering her assistance.

During her time in Washington, Ms. Takaichi was a dynamic and inquisitive presence, eagerly questioning aides about the intricacies of Congress and American foreign policy — and developing a fondness for peanut butter. At that point, there was no indication of the conservative views on defense or social issues that she would later adopt, according to Andrea Camp, a former aide to Ms. Schroeder.

Upon her return to Japan, Ms. Takaichi established herself as an author and a television personality, earning a reputation as a tenacious debater. In 1993, she launched her political career, successfully campaigning as an independent from Nara for a seat in Parliament on a platform of political reform. Her father dedicated his retirement savings to support her campaign.

Within the Diet, Japan’s Parliament, Ms. Takaichi quickly encountered the isolation often faced by women in politics. She recalled that her male colleagues were sometimes dismissive and frequently conducted business in informal settings like saunas and social clubs, environments largely inaccessible to female lawmakers.

“It’s really difficult for a woman to meet a man one-on-one,” she told The Associated Press in 1993. “People are watching, and I don’t want some strange scandal being invented. We can’t use the hours after 5 p.m.”

During her formative years in Parliament, she cultivated a lasting alliance with Mr. Abe, a lawmaker from an influential family known for his nationalistic outlook. The two found common ground on key issues, including advocating for increased military spending and a more patriotic interpretation of history in textbooks.

When Mr. Abe began his first term as prime minister in 2006, he appointed Ms. Takaichi to his cabinet, elevating her to one of the most prominent female figures in Japanese politics. He reappointed her in 2012 at the start of his second, eight-year term. She became a staunch defender of his policies, including efforts to revise Japan’s Constitution to grant its military greater freedom after decades of postwar pacifism, and his economic program, which prioritized easy money and government stimulus measures.

Ms. Takaichi attempted to persuade Mr. Abe to run for prime minister again in 2021, but he declined. When she subsequently entered the race, he enthusiastically endorsed her. “Ms. Takaichi is the true star of the conservatives,” Mr. Abe declared at the time. She was unsuccessful in that bid, as well as in another attempt in 2024.

The assassination of Mr. Abe outside a train station in Nara, while he was delivering a stump speech, left Ms. Takaichi profoundly devastated. She publicly stated at the time that she had “never felt so physically and mentally down.”

“I have to work very hard from today,” she wrote on social media, “otherwise I’d have to apologize to him.”

When Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation as prime minister in September, following a series of embarrassing electoral setbacks for the L.D.P., Ms. Takaichi once again stepped forward to seek leadership of her party. She successfully defeated four male rivals, capitalizing on a surge of support among grassroots party members with a message focused on transforming people’s “anxieties into hope.”

As her public profile has grown, Ms. Takaichi’s personal life has also garnered attention. She married Taku Yamamoto, a fellow L.D.P. politician, in 2004. They divorced in 2017, with Ms. Takaichi citing heated political disagreements at home. However, they remarried in 2021, a remarkable event in Japan’s traditionally patriarchal society, as Mr. Yamamoto adopted Ms. Takaichi’s surname.

In Kashihara City, Ms. Takaichi’s hometown in Nara, with a population of approximately 125,000, friends and supporters rejoiced at her ascent. They offered prayers for her success at local temples and sent congratulatory white orchids to her district office.

Nara has consistently played a significant role in her political journey. During the recent campaign, she controversially accused tourists of mistreating the cherished deer of Nara Park. This remark drew criticism, with some interpreting it as xenophobic.

Yukitoshi Arai, Ms. Takaichi’s former hairdresser in Nara, was instrumental in developing the iconic cropped hairstyle she is known for. He explained that he designed it to keep her eyes and ears visible, symbolizing her commitment to observing and listening to the people she served. Mr. Arai noted that Ms. Takaichi embodies the characteristic humor and humility of people from the Kansai region in central Japan. He once even gifted her a bottle of shampoo that was reportedly favored by Margaret Thatcher during her visit to Tokyo.

“I don’t think she’s an ‘iron lady,’” he stated, referencing the British media’s nickname for Ms. Thatcher. “Her vibe is that of a Kansai woman.”

Following her victory in the L.D.P.’s leadership election earlier this month, Mr. Arai sent a text message to his former client, reminding her to prioritize her well-being.

Ms. Takaichi’s reply, received two days later, was succinct: “The battle begins now.”

Kiuko Notoya contributed reporting from Nara Prefecture and Hisako Ueno from Tokyo.