Women read extra editions of a newspaper reporting that the leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Sanae Takaichi, has become Japan's new prime minister, in Tokyo, Japan, October 21, 2025. Takaichi on Tuesday appointed only two female ministers in a 19-member cabinet, matching her predecessor and falling short of her previously announced plan to ensure women's representation in top posts "not particularly lower than Nordic countries". - Reuters
TOKYO: Sanae Takaichi took office on Tuesday (Oct 21) as Japan's first female prime minister, but her surprisingly male-dominated cabinet and socially conservative track record have left some women ambivalent in a country that lags on gender equality.
Takaichi on Tuesday appointed only two female ministers in a 19-member cabinet, matching her predecessor and falling short of her previously announced plan to ensure women's representation in top posts "not particularly lower than Nordic countries".
