After Sanae Takaichi¡¯s landmark election win, many who normally pay little attention to Japan are taking an interest, leading some to project their beliefs onto that soon-to-be-iconic blue suit.
Conservatives are delighting in their view that she is the latest fringe figure to attain power, a position they believe she won thanks to her unwavering opposition to immigration. Liberals, meanwhile, seem to think her victory marks some kind of rightward shift in the country, perhaps even a step toward fascism.
But much of what you read about Takaichi is divorced from reality. Her victory is a historic one, both in its scope and in her position as the country¡¯s first female leader. But she is far from the extremist that either side wants to paint her as.
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