Tokyo: Sanae Takaichi was elected Japan’s first female prime minister Tuesday, 80 years after women in the Asian nation gained suffrage. This marks a historic moment as Takaichi, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), breaks the country’s highest glass ceiling, although women’s participation in politics has remained limited.

According to Philippines News Agency, women in Japan gained the right to participate in politics in 1945, following the country’s defeat in World War II. This milestone was largely attributed to the efforts of female activist leader Fusae Ichikawa and others. The subsequent year saw thirty-nine women winning seats in the House of Representatives during the election for the lower chamber of parliament.

In the wake of the global wave of female empowerment movements following International Women’s Year in 1975, Japan enacted significant legislation such as the equal employment opportunity law for men and women in 1985 and the basic law for a gender-equal society in 1999. In 2018, the parliament passed a lawmaker-led legislation urging political parties to equalize the number of male and female candidates in elections.

Despite some progress in women’s participation in Japanese society, the country was ranked 118th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Gender Gap Index. Gender inequality remains pronounced in the political arena, with women comprising only 20.6 percent of all lawmakers in the Lower House and the House of Councillors, the upper chamber.

Historically, the closest a woman had come to winning the prime minister’s post before Takaichi was Takako Doi, who led the former Social Democratic Party of Japan. Doi spearheaded a massive victory for her party in the 1989 Upper House election, stripping the LDP-led ruling bloc of its majority. However, despite winning the ensuing vote for prime minister in the Upper House, the LDP’s Toshiki Kaifu became the head of government as he was elected by the Lower House.

Other notable female politicians include Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, the first woman to bid for the LDP presidency, who ran and lost in the 2008 LDP presidential election before becoming Tokyo’s first female governor in 2016. Takaichi, along with former internal affairs minister Seiko Noda and former foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa, have been among the few female candidates for the LDP presidency since then.

Globally, the United States remains the only member of the Group of Seven major nations that has not had a female leader. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and then Vice President Kamala Harris both suffered defeats on Democratic Party tickets in the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections, respectively. As of the end of July this year, 82 of the 193 UN member states have had female presidents or prime ministers since the end of World War II.

Takaichi’s election signifies a pivotal moment in Japan’s political history. Citing Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first female prime minister, as an ideal leader, Takaichi’s rise to power is noteworthy as she was not born into a political family and initially lacked political connections or name recognition.