Hardliner conservative Sanae Takaichi elected Japan’s first female leader

Staunch conservative Sanae Takaichi was elected Japan’s first female prime minister by the country’s parliament on Tuesday, in a landmark moment for the historically patriarchal country where both politics and workplaces are dominated by older men.

Takaichi steps into the role as Japan faces mounting economic woes and a fractured and deadlocked politics, and just days before US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit.

Her deeply conservative views have alarmed some centrist party members. For instance, she supports revising Japan’s pacifist constitution and often visits a controversial war shrine that includes the names of those convicted of war crimes during World War II.

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