TOKYO (Reuters): Legendary British rock band Deep Purple made Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's day with a brief visit to their high-profile superfan on Friday as they returned to the country they first toured more than half a century ago.
Takaichi's reputation as an amateur drummer and fan of hard rock and heavy metal has been well documented, and she has referred to Deep Purple as one of her favourite bands along with the likes of Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden.
"You are my god," a giddy Takaichi said in English to Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice, presenting him with a set of made-in-Japan drumsticks that she signed.
After a brief photo session with lead singer Ian Gillan and the other members, Takaichi told the band she had bought their "Machine Head" album in grade school, which features some of the band's biggest hits such as "Smoke on the Water" and "Highway Star". She played keyboard in a Deep Purple tribute band in middle school and then switched to drums in university, she said.
"These days, when I fight with my husband I drum to 'Burn' and cast a curse on him," she joked.
The group's courtesy call was a welcome respite for Japan's first female prime minister, who vowed to "work, work, work" when she took office last October.
Since then, Takaichi has had to grapple with a diplomatic fallout with China, economic strain from a weak yen and rising prices, and now the threat of an energy crisis due to the Middle East conflict.
"I have the deepest respect for the way you continue to make rock history while embracing new challenges and creating captivating music to this day," she said through an interpreter.
The band's ties to Japan run deep. The double live album "Made in Japan", recorded during Deep Purple's first Japan tour in 1972, cemented its reputation as one of rock's most formidable live acts.
The band kicks off its 2026 Japan tour on Saturday at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan.
(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Sonali Paul) -- Reuters
