On 21 October 2025, Sanae Takaichi was elected the first woman to lead the government of Japan. In many countries, the news was greeted as a historic change: that a woman could lead a nation still strongly tied to patriarchal traditions was interpreted as a step forward. However, beyond the headlines, the reality is more complex.   Takaichi, in fact, represents a living contradiction. That she attained such an important political role does not challenge those structures; rather, she has joined