TOKYO -- At last, the "glass ceiling" has been broken and Japan has its first female prime minister. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s Sanae Takaichi, 64, assumed the post from Shigeru Ishiba after Oct. 21 Diet votes, following a coalition deal with Nippon Ishin (the Japan Innovation Party).

Despite this landmark development, some women are responding with cool detachment.

The Mainichi Shimbun asked Ayaka Suzuki, associate professor at the University of Tsukuba and an expert on women's social movements, to interpret these women's feelings.

A long-awaited moment, but...

"It's complicated. I feel frustrated, somehow," Suzuki said, giving her honest reaction to the LDP leadership election result. She is not alone in her ambivalence. Social media comments on Takaichi's ascension to the pinnacle of the ruling party included, "Not just any woman will do," and, "I wish the first female prime minister had been someone more conscious of gender equality."

Suzuki believes Takaichi's views on gender are a factor.

"She has basically opposed initiatives like optional separate surnames for married couples and other gender equality measures. Such political footsteps are one reason for the reaction," Suzuki said, adding, "It doesn't seem like Takaichi has ever strategically focused on winning women's support."

Support not tied to gender

Suzuki explained that conservative female politicians have often gained support by embracing family roles like "mother," "wife" or "daughter," and by using rhetoric such as "a safe and secure future for our children" in their political appeals.

"But Takaichi doesn't fit that mold," Suzuki reflected. "Rather than advocating for social change, she emphasizes individual effort and success, which aligns with global trends like neoliberal feminism as a result." In neoliberal feminism, issues like balancing work and family are seen as matters of personal effort, not social challenges, and women's advancement is pursued through each one's achievements.

Still, Suzuki noted, Takaichi has not sparked a new feminist movement in Japan.

A Mainichi Shimbun national poll conducted on Sept. 20 and 21, just before the LDP leadership vote, showed that 32% of men chose Takaichi as the most suitable leader, far ahead of runner-up Shinjiro Koizumi (19%).

Among women, however, Takaichi's support rate was 20%, trailing Koizumi's 23%.

Takaichi was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1993 and joined the Cabinet for the first time in 2006 under the first administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. She has since walked the political path as the late Abe's successor. In this leadership race, her strongest message was "Sanaenomics," a continuation of Abenomics -- Abe's economic policy mix -- and aggressive spending.

Suzuki sees this reflected in the survey numbers. "She didn't win support from conservative women as a woman. Rather, she gained support regardless of her gender because she is Abe's successor."

Succeeding in a male-dominated LDP

During the leadership race, the term "honorary man" appeared on social media in reference to Takaichi. This term, often used critically, refers to women who gain status by conforming to male standards in a male-dominated society.

Suzuki, however, expressed understanding for the difficult position of female lawmakers in the LDP, where men are the overwhelming majority.

"To compete and win in the LDP (as a woman), you have to appear even stronger than the men. I think Takaichi strategically aimed to be a 'strong woman.' Even in the private sector, if you want to reach higher positions or be recognized, you still have to be conscious of male standards and perspectives."

So, has Takaichi never considered the female perspective?

"Her political persona is so prominent that it's hard to see her as an individual, which may have made it difficult for female voters to feel a sense of closeness," Suzuki said.

Looking back on Takaichi's career, Suzuki also explained the expectations women have for female candidates.

"Even though men and women live in the same society, what they see and experience is different. That's why, unlike previous male prime ministers, women hope that 'she sees the world the way we women do.'"

(Japanese original by Akiko Yamazaki, Digital News Group)

Profile

Ayaka Suzuki was born in 1985. She graduated from the Ritsumeikan University Faculty of Law before earning her doctorate at the University of Osaka's Graduate School of Human Sciences. Following a stint as an assistant professor at the same graduate school, she is now an associate professor at the University of Tsukuba's Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences. Her books (with titles roughly translated into English) include, "Women's conservative movements: gender in a rightward-shifting Japanese society" (published by Jinbun Shoin) and "Social movement theory starting from questions" (co-authored, Yuhikaku Publishing).