Japan’s 1st Female PM “Caring,” “Strong-Willed,” Friends Say

Tokyo, Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)–Sanae Takaichi, who became Japan’s first female prime minister on Tuesday, is “caring” and “strong-willed,” according to her longtime friends. Motoko Shimada, 64, of the city of Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, attended the same school as Takaichi from elementary to high school. “On the day of our high school entrance examination, she offered to share her lunch with me after I forgot to bring mine,” Shimada said. “I passed the exam thanks to her.” A younger Takaichi “was a caring person who would casually lend a hand to those who needed help,” Shimada said. “I believe she hasn’t changed since then.” “Sanae working hard would demonstrate that women can compete with men,” Shimada also said. Referring to Takaichi’s controversial remark that she would “abandon work-life balance” to work hard, Shimada said that Takaichi was probably joking. “I hope that she takes care of herself because she is extremely hardworking,” Shimada said. Hiroaki Yagi, a 65-year-old resident of Tokyo’s Suginami Ward, said that he and Takaichi took the train together to and from cram school during the summer of their final year of high school. “We talked about how amazing (rock bands) Queen and Pink Floyd were,” Yagi said. Takaichi, who was a drummer during her school years, once performed a song by Japanese rock band X Japan on a television program. Tetsuo Okuda, 76, who runs a tourism farm in the Nara town of Sango and has known Takaichi for over 20 years, said that the new prime minister’s “strong-willed personality to express her opinions has not changed.” Okuda expressed hope that she will maintain her focus on the economy. Takaichi is also known to be a car enthusiast. A car museum operated by Nara Toyota Corp. in the city of Nara currently displays a Toyota Motor Corp. Supra that Takaichi used to travel between Nara and Tokyo when she was a young lawmaker. Osamu Kikuchi, 66, head of Nara Toyota, has known Takaichi since 1993, when she was first elected to the House of Representatives. “Although her Liberal Democratic Party is in a tough situation, I hope she overcomes the adversities through her radiant positivity.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]