Japan's PM Takaichi Appoints Only Two Women to 19-Member Cabinet

Sanae Takaichi made history as Japan's first female prime minister but appointed only two women to her 19-member cabinet, falling short of her promise to achieve gender representation comparable to Nordic countries like Iceland, Finland, and Norway, where women hold a significant proportion of cabinet posts. The two women appointed are Satsuki Katayama, Japan's first female finance minister, and Kimi Onoda, minister of economic security. Japan ranks 118th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, highlighting the country's continued gender disparity in politics and leadership roles. Takaichi, an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, is socially conservative, opposing changes to laws requiring married couples to share the same surname and supporting male-only imperial succession, reflecting her party's traditional values. Though she has spoken openly about women's health issues, including her experience with menopause, her conservative stance on gender equality contrasts sharply with the more progressive Nordic models she referenced. Her cabinet appointments also include Toshimitsu Motegi as foreign minister and Shinjiro Koizumi as defense minister, both prominent figures in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.