In Japan, she is known as the “iron lady,” a not-so-subtle comparison to Britain’s Margaret Thatcher — the staunch American ally who helped Ronald Reagan defeat the Soviet Union in Cold War I. Sanae Takaichi recently became the prime minister of Japan. Like Thatcher, she rose to power from humble origins. Like Thatcher, she is a conservative known for supporting a “hawkish” foreign policy and a stronger military.
In the late 1970s, in the wake of America’s defeat in Vietnam and the disastrous presidency of Jimmy Carter, Thatcher partnered with Ronald Reagan to reverse the “correlation of forces” that appeared to be shifting in the Soviet Union’s favor in Cold War I. There are indications that Takaichi may partner with Donald Trump, in the aftermath of the disastrous, Carter-like Biden presidency, to face down the growing geopolitical challenge of China in Cold War II. (RELATED: Japan Set to Elect Female Nationalist, Pro-Taiwan, Anti-China Hawk as Next PM)
During President Trump’s recent Asia trip, he heaped praise upon Japan’s first female prime minister, saying that she “will be one of the great prime ministers.” Takaichi pledged to significantly increase Japan’s defense spending, signed an agreement on critical minerals and rare earths, and lauded potential new investments by Japanese companies in the United States. She also praised Trump’s peacemaking efforts around the world. (RELATED: Japan’s MAGA Moment)
Prime Minister Takaichi is a protégé of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former prime minister, who was a key Trump ally during Trump’s first term. Abe, who stepped down as prime minister in 2020, was assassinated in 2022 while giving a speech in support of a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate for Japan’s upper house of parliament.
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