Sanae Takaichi took on Japan’s male-dominated politics and won – can she survive a second year in power?
The straight-talking PM’s ability to manage Trump and stand up to China have endeared her to the public, but she may need friends closer to home to survive The visitors squeezed into the kiosk near Japan ’s national diet building snap up souvenirs bearing the face of Sanae-chan, the affectionate nickname for the country’s leader: chocolate biscuits, dango sweets, stickers and document files proclaiming that “Japan is back”. “The Takaichi range is incredibly popular,” says a member of staff. Cont
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The straight-talking PM’s ability to manage Trump and stand up to China have endeared her to the public, but she may need friends closer to home to survive
The visitors squeezed into the kiosk near Japan’s national diet building snap up souvenirs bearing the face of Sanae-chan, the affectionate nickname for the country’s leader: chocolate biscuits, dango sweets, stickers and document files proclaiming that “Japan is back”.
“The Takaichi range is incredibly popular,” says a member of staff.
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About this article
- Length
- 81 words · 1 min read
- Published
- October 21, 2026
- Byline
- Justin McCurry in Tokyo
- Source
- The Guardian