23 Facts About Sanae Takaichi

Sanae Takaichi is a Japanese politician who served as the Minister of State for Economic Security from 2022 to 2024.

Sanae Takaichi has been described as having a "political reputation as a staunch conservative" and as having been a close ally of former Prime Minister Abe.

Sanae Takaichi was first elected to the House of Representatives in the 1993 Japanese general election as an independent.

In 1996, Sanae Takaichi ran as a sanctioned candidate from the New Frontier Party and reelected to the House of Representatives.

Sanae Takaichi's act of switching parties, two months after winning the election with anti-LDP votes, resulted in heavy criticism from New Frontier Party members.

Sanae Takaichi served as chairman of the Education and Science Committee.

Sanae Takaichi moved to the nearby city of Ikoma and won a seat representing the Nara 2nd district in the 2005 Japanese general election.

Sanae Takaichi headed an LDP group that opposed legislation that would allow married couples to retain separate surnames after marriage, arguing that it would undermine Japan's traditional family system.

Sanae Takaichi is affiliated with the ultranationalist organization Nippon Kaigi.

Sanae Takaichi served as Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy, Minister of State for Innovation, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Gender Equality and Minister of State for Food Safety in the Japanese Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Sanae Takaichi was selected as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications to replace Yoshitaka Shindo on September 3,2014.

Sanae Takaichi denied any link with Yamada and said she would not have accepted the picture had she known Yamada's background.

Sanae Takaichi was shown promoting a controversial book praising Adolf Hitler's electoral talents in 1994.

Sanae Takaichi was among the three members of the cabinet to visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in 2014, became the first sitting cabinet member to attend the shrine's autumn festival in 2016, and was one of four cabinet ministers who visited Yasukuni on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in August 2020.

In February 2016, Sanae Takaichi commented that the government could suspend the operations of broadcasters that aired politically biased content.

An electoral redistricting in 2017, which Sanae Takaichi oversaw as internal affairs minister, eliminated one of Nara Prefecture's districts and resulted in Sanae Takaichi again potentially facing off with her former rival Mabuchi.

Sanae Takaichi was replaced by Seiko Noda on August 3,2017, but returned to the Internal Affairs and Communications post on September 11,2019, replacing Masatoshi Ishida.

Sanae Takaichi has been described as "a favorite of conservatives with hawkish views on defense and diplomacy".

Sanae Takaichi was Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications during the time frame referenced in the document.

When pressed during a committee session the following day, Sanae Takaichi said that the document was "fabricated" and vowed to resign from the Diet if the document was proven to be genuine.

Sanae Takaichi serves as the vice chairperson of parliamentary conference of the Shinto Association of Spiritual Leadership, which advocates for restoration of Shinto religious rites and moral education.

Sanae Takaichi married Taku Yamamoto, a fellow member of the House of Representatives, in 2004.

The couple did not have any children of their own, but Sanae Takaichi adopted her husband's three children from a previous marriage.