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To numerous female youth in Japan currently, the sight of Sanae Takaichi assuming leadership as the nation's inaugural woman prime minister is impactful and formative.

It means a male-oriented culture and a political system that has historically been controlled by men is currently headed by a woman.

But while the optics speak of a progressive moment, certain females don't see her as an champion of progress.

“It was quite fascinating to see how individuals outside Japan have reacted to the announcement,” Ayda Ogura states.

“Everyone's like, ‘wow, she's the first female prime minister in Japanese history and that would be a significant chance for female advancement and gender equality in Japan’.

“I think that's a very naive view.”

Conversely, the young woman points to her “ideological stance and what she represents,” noting: “She reinforces the patriarchal system.”

A big fan of Margaret Thatcher, Sanae Takaichi has long aspired to be the “Iron Lady” of her nation.

And like Thatcher, Takaichi is a firm conservative.

Observers say her ascension is a strategic decision from the governing Liberal Democratic Party to appeal to the more conservative base which had recently gravitated towards Japan's more extreme conservative groups.

The leader is against same-sex marriage and has long stood against laws that would permit married couples to have separate surnames, preventing many women from keeping their birth surnames.

She's also opposed to females being in line for succession in the imperial family.

However, she did soften some of her statements during her campaign – saying she supports giving tax incentives to businesses that offer daycare services to their staff and mentioned possible tax breaks for households spending on childcare.

Yet she has over the years backed the idea of a conventional position for women in the community and in the home.

Regarding gender matters, Takaichi is aligned with her nation's less than impressive performance on equality concerns.

The Country's Inequality in Context

Women in Japan are among the most highly educated and most skilled in the world and yet they face challenges with the expectations of a traditional culture that still directs them into traditional roles.

Based on the latest equality ranking by the World Economic Forum, Japan ranked 118th out of among nearly 150 nations, with women's presence in the field of politics notably low.

Leadership positions have traditionally been dominated by men and Japan has faced difficulties to boost the quantity of female lawmakers and corporate executives.

The globally fourth biggest economic power ranks at the bottom among the G7 countries when it comes to the share of females in its national parliament. In detail, females constitute about 15.7% of lawmakers in Japan, the smallest proportion among the seven major economies.

It is even slow when it comes to female healthcare: recently was it announced that the “emergency” pill – a form of post-coital birth control sold over the counter in over ninety countries – had at last been authorized for non-prescription sales in Japan.

Mixed Responses to the Landmark Leadership

Even so, certain individuals view Takaichi's rise to power as a critical juncture that could alter how women view their prospects.

“There is great significance in the new prime minister becoming prime minister, with a broader impact on the public,” Naomi Koshi – who became the country's most youthful woman city leader in 2012 – told local media.

Koshi argued Japan having a female prime minister will “lower psychological barriers” for women and girls, enabling them to believe it is acceptable to “stand out” as leaders in companies and the community, despite biased expectations and norms still persist.

But a 20-year-old notes that, while it is remarkable Japan has its first female leader, it is important to recall it required her over three decades to reach that office.

“She's also not truly going against the norm. She's saying the same thing as the male politicians.”

The young woman further states that she ought not be placed on a pedestal simply because she is a female.

“We need to make sure we're talking about her agenda. We must be able to criticise her fairly as everyone else.”

Ideological Context and Associations

It is not only what Takaichi has stated which has caused individuals to describe her as a defender of the male-dominated system.

It's also evident by which individuals her champions within the LDP have were.

She's the protégé of the late ex- hawkish prime minister Shinzo Abe, and was endorsed in the leadership election by a senior politician – a prominent member in the ruling party at the head of one of the government's most powerful conservative blocs.

Their group's support for Sanae Takaichi was pivotal in uniting the conservative wing in her favor.

“I believe that it is challenging for females to somewhat relate to her success because it furthers this notion that we have to be compliant with the status quo,” young adult a citizen says.

The 21-year-old concurs, saying that with her as a figurehead for females in government, “people are going to expect the identical from women as well”.

“They're going to expect us to be conforming, not oppose the ideals that they have, and it could render our role more difficult.”

Future Challenges and Anticipations

Making history, though, was only the initial of the difficulties Takaichi will face – including tackling a slow growth and inflation and regaining the confidence of a discontented and angry voting public, as in addition to welcoming president Trump within days of assuming office.

One can reasonably assume that no-one expects gender equality issues to be high on her priority list.