‘Iron Lady’ has become a lazy euphemism for any conservative woman who ascends to power promising to keep things the way they are, including the subordinate position of other women in society and politics. Journalists – not the most imaginative crew in the world – reach for the Thatcher comparison as a shorthand, saving themselves the trouble of examining the social and political structures that usually underpin conservative rule. Though Sanae Takaichi, who openly idolizes former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, is probably delighted by the comparison, however lazy it may be.
Takaichi, 64, has been in politics most of her life and, since the mid-1990s, has been a creature of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Despite its name, the LDP is neither especially liberal nor particularly democratic; it is a broad conservative machine that has dominated Japanese politics almost without interruption since its formation in the mid-1950s. Takaichi has held most positions of power in the party and importantly was an ally of Abe Shinzo, the LDP’s most electorally successful leader. After Abe’s assassination in 2022, Takaichi moved quickly to inherit his political mantle. Like Abe, she has links with the militantly anti-communist Unification Church, a South Korean religious movement (widely considered a cult) whose ties to Japanese politicians became a national scandal.
