The incoming president and probable prime minister of Japan's long ruling Liberal Democrats is an ultra conservative leader of a male dominated party that detractors say is impeding women's growth in a nation that scores poorly on international gender equality rankings.
Sanae Takaichi, 64, supports former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conservative outlook for Japan and is an admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.The largely male ruling party in Japan, which has dominated postwar politics virtually continuously, has elected its first female president in Takaichi.
She has held important party and government positions, such as minister of economic security, internal affairs, and gender equality, after being first elected to parliament in 1993 from her hometown of Nara.
After speaking out about diversity and gender equality, female parliamentarians in the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, who were granted restricted ministerial positions, were frequently ostracized.
Takaichi has continued to hold traditional beliefs that are supported by powerful men in the party.
Just 15% of Japan's lower house, which is the more influential of the two parliamentary chambers, is made up of women.
In Japan, there are just two female prefectural governors out of 47.
Takaichi, a heavy metal band drummer and a motorbike rider while in school, has advocated for harsher immigration laws, increased fiscal investment for growth, the advancement of nuclear fusion, cybersecurity, and a more powerful military.
She pledged to significantly expand her government's number of female ministers.
However, because she would have to demonstrate devotion to powerful male heavyweights in her role as leader, experts fear she would potentially impede the growth of women. Her leadership could be short lived if she doesn't.
Takaichi has supported the LDP's stance of allowing women to fulfill their traditional responsibilities as obedient wives and mothers.
However, she recently admitted to having menopausal symptoms and emphasised the importance of educating men about women's health in order to support women in the workplace and at school.
