Japan this week created history by electing its first-ever woman prime minister. Sanae Takaichi, 64, was elected by both houses of parliament after her party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), struck a coalition agreement with the Japan Innovation Party (JIP).

She succeeds Shigeru Ishiba, who stepped down in the wake of electoral setbacks for the ruling coalition. Takaichi, a known conservative, has vowed to strengthen Japan's defence and reassert its strategic role on the global stage.

She also pledged to increase wages to increase domestic consumption and arrest inflation. While her appointment represents a major breakthrough in Japan’s patriarchal political system, analysts caution that it may be more symbolic than transformative for gender equality.