Conservative lawmaker Sanae Takaichi, a self-proclaimed admirer of Margaret Thatcher, has made history by becoming Japan’s first female prime minister after winning the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership race. Often describing former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher as her role model, Takaichi has long stood apart from Japan’s male-dominated political establishment. Newly-elected leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Sanae Takaichi (L) shakes hands with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after winning the LDP leadership election in Tokyo on October 4, 2025. China hawk Sanae Takaichi won the leadership on October 4 of Japan's ruling party, putting her on course to become the country's first woman prime minister. Former Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a press conference at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, on Sept. 11, 2019.