Just three months ago, in October, Japan saw two historic firsts: Sanae Takaichi became the nation¡¯s first female prime minister and Satsuki Katayama was appointed the first female finance minister.
Many in the liberal media and Takaichi¡¯s critics quickly labeled her ¡°hawkish,¡± ¡°anti-women¡± and ¡°anti-gender equality,¡± with National Public Radio in the U.S. declaring, ¡°She broke the glass ceiling, but she is no feminist.¡±
Some news outlets in Japan went even further, labeling her meiyo dansei (an honorary male) ¡ª a woman who succeeds by abandoning women¡¯s interests. Media coverage at home and abroad obsesses over her opposition to selective separate surnames and same-sex marriage while systematically ignoring her legislative record on protecting women and children. The Associated Press, for example, reported that she voices ¡°old-fashioned views favored by male party heavyweights.¡±
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