Anti-LGBTQ+ politician Sanae Takaichi becomes Japan’s first female prime minister – and she loves Margaret Thatcher
"My goal is to become the Iron Lady," said Takaichi
By Aaron Sugg

Anti-LGBTQ+ politician Sanae Takaichi has become Japan’s first female prime minister, following a vote by the country’s legislature, the Diet, promising to emulate the leadership style of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
First elected in 1993, the 64-year-old joined the Liberal Democratic Party in 1996 and is considered a protégé of the late Shinzo Abe, who previously described same-sex marriage as “extremely cautious consideration”.
Takaichi is a hardline conservative, opposing same-sex marriage and reforms to surnames in marriage, and has made controversial visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which is a symbol of Japan’s imperialist past.
“Destroy the social structure based on family units” – Sanae Takaichi on same-sex marriage
Takaichi argued in December 2020 that legislation permitting separate surnames for married couples could “destroy the social structure based on family units”, according to BBC News.
She is considered more right-wing than previous LDP leaders. Woman’s Agenda claims that, while campaigning to become Party leader, she said: “My goal is to become the Iron Lady.”
She continued: “Everyone will be required to work – work like a horse. I will abandon the notion of work-life balance. Work, work, work, work, work.”
Thatcher’s government introduced Section 28 in 1988, stating local authorities “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality.”
In October 2025, Japan extended some legal rights to same-sex couples, including eligibility for disaster condolence grants and crime victim benefits.
Despite recent Supreme Court Rulings, Japan’s LGBTQ+ community faces hurdles
This decision followed a Supreme Court ruling that recognised same-sex couples as being in “circumstances similar to effective marriage,” while continuing to define marriage as “mutual consent between both sexes.”
Transgender individuals in Japan face legal hurdles, including a requirement to undergo surgery to change their legal gender. However, a 2025 court ruling removed a key barrier by eliminating the need for genital surgery for legal gender recognition.
While her elevation marks a milestone for women in Japanese politics, women still make up just 15% of the Diet; Takaichi has pledged to increase female Cabinet representation.