When reading Western news articles, books, and papers, it's not uncommon to come across language that suggests Japan is a "male-dominated" or "male-controlled" society, that women's "social advancement" is lagging behind, and that women are oppressed. This is based on fundamental misunderstandings, prejudices, and preconceptions (though I don't completely deny it).
However, I won't go into that issue here. While the average Japanese man knows this from experience, I'd have to write a lengthy article to get people in Western society, who don't have a firsthand knowledge of the realities of Japanese society, to understand, and that's not possible here.
The new LDP president's attire during the presidential election was impressive.
The news article below also includes a commemorative photo of him when he joined the Abe Cabinet, and it's the same as then. While she avoids clothing with flashy colors and patterns, she wears a suit that's neither dark navy blue nor a very bright light blue, but rather a metallic blue, choosing clothing that subtly stands out. This is to be expected of someone who has worked in television.
Just like Takako Doi, I'm sure she'll continue to create buzz with her fashion sense once she becomes prime minister.
Putting that aside, the problem is how she behaved on stage immediately after winning the election. She bowed her head repeatedly and persistently, bending her waist not just at a 90-degree angle but at about 150 degrees. It was almost as if she was doing a forward bending exercise.
I can understand her intention. I watched a different British news video on YouTube, and she has a strong image as a "hawk," "nationalist," and "female Abe," which has caused people to be wary of her. This image of a "hawk" or a "female Abe" is based on misunderstandings, prejudices, ignorance and malicious manipulation of impressions, but I am not a "supporter" of hers so I will not discuss it further here.
I can understand a politician's desire to dispel or soften the above image and portray herself as a "good old-fashioned Japanese woman" (this image, too, is based on misunderstandings, prejudices and ignorance in the opposite sense) as an image strategy and self-presentation.
However, even so, that bow was excessive for someone who would rise to the highest position of power in the country in just a few days. There were reports that the current prime minister was working behind the scenes as an "anti-Takaichi" in this election, so she may have wanted to ease the backlash and caution from the current prime minister, or she may have been so happy about her victory that she ended up behaving as usual.
If she were speaking to a Japanese person, bowing deeply, so bent her waist that her head hit both knees, would not be seen as abnormal. However, non-Japanese people may view you with suspicion, or even be wary of you, or even feel contempt, or may misunderstand you as a servile person who wants to submit to them.
When dealing with Japanese people, who are filled with jealousy and inferiority complex toward those who excel, and who silently seek to be leveled and homogenized to the lowest level, any behavior that is confident, dignified, and relaxed, fair, intelligent, expressive, and dignified will immediately attract hostility and hatred, and you will be labeled a "nail that sticks out." Therefore, before we know it, we Japanese have instinctively become creatures that behave in the way described above (peer pressure).
However, in Western societies, the opposite behavior is expected of politicians, especially at the highest levels of government. When meeting with foreign leaders, Prime Minister Suga also bowed his head deeply before shaking hands with those he met. While many world leaders gathered around a large round table, chatting and exchanging greetings, the current prime minister stood alone, looking downcast and isolated. Even when the former South Korean president made a point of speaking to him, he remained seated, silent, and simply bowed (as there was no interpreter nearby). The bizarre photo of the current Minister of Economic Revitalization meeting with the American president during a visit to the United States for tariff negotiations (the president was seated at a large desk in the Oval Office, with the minister standing beside him) was also stunned. Most Japanese who saw that photo likely recalled a photo of Emperor Showa standing like a child beside General MacArthur, who was behaving arrogantly, disrespectfully, and rudely, immediately after Japan's defeat in the war. The minister in question was essentially waving the white flag of unconditional surrender before even engaging in direct negotiations with the other country's most powerful leader. We often experience this, and it makes us feel ashamed, pathetic, and shameful, and we often feel like we don't want to be treated like a fellow Japanese.
As Max Weber argued in "Economy and Society," a certain level of charisma is required of those in power and in positions of authority, especially in a democratic system. A supreme leader needs to be able to portray himself to a certain extent, with "unprecedented" and "extraordinary" qualities and image that will captivate those he rules. Such "presentation" is not an attempt to deceive the people through deceptive behavior, but rather a way of behaving in a way that will gain the people's "recognition" as worthy of leadership. Of course, if one goes too far, as is the case with some of the current atypical leaders, one will be met with backlash, but as long as one knows how to act in moderation, it is not a bad thing for a politician.
My personal hope is that the next prime minister will not behave like a (deceptive) "good old Japanese woman" on the international stage, but rather will completely revamp and dispel that tarnished image.
The End
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DceviWlgaZM
Sanae Takaichi to become first female Prime Minister of Japan | BBC News
669,916 views Oct 4, 2025
Japan's ruling conservative party has elected Sanae Takaichi as its new leader, positioning the 64-year-old to be Japan's first female prime minister.
She also has to contend with a sluggish economy and Japanese households struggling with relentless inflation and a stagnant wages.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2pmy7m72lo
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