Japan’s First Female PM Faces Scrutiny Over Limited Female Cabinet Appointments
Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has appointed just two other women to her cabinet, a move that, while historic in some respects, falls short of her stated goal to raise female participation in government.
The appointments include Satsuki Katayama as the nation’s first female finance minister and Kimi Onoda as economic security minister. Takaichi, known for her conservative views, said she wants to increase female representation to levels seen in Nordic countries. “I wouldn’t appoint women just because they’re women,” she told a party rally earlier this month. “But the plan is to pick far more women who are capable and willing to serve the nation.”
Japan ranks 118th out of 148 nations in the World Economic Forum’s global gender gap report, with particularly low scores in political and economic participation. Although the country has made progress in female labour force participation, women still earn only 74.8% of what men earn on average, according to a 2023 government survey.
Analysts say Takaichi’s symbolic leadership may not necessarily translate into deeper change. “It is certainly symbolic and celebratory to see female politicians taking centre stage. However, what truly matters is not performance, but whether the status and social lives of Japanese women will actually change,” said Mieko Nakabayashi, a politics professor at Waseda University.
With women holding just 16% of seats in Japan’s lower house, structural barriers remain high. As Takaichi navigates coalition politics, her leadership faces scrutiny over whether her tenure will mark genuine progress or another moment on Japan’s long path toward gender equality.
