In the more than five months since becoming Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi has shown a tendency to speak to the press less frequently than her recent predecessors, according to data on her daily activities.
Takaichi’s tenure so far has been marked by active use of social media to explain her positions and promote her administration’s activities. One expert said she is “strategically” choosing where to communicate from, warning that scrutiny is required.
Analysis of daily records of the prime minister’s movements released by Kyodo News shows that from taking office on Oct. 21 to March 21, Takaichi spoke with groups of waiting press 34 times — less frequently than recent Liberal Democratic Party premiers.
Shigeru Ishiba spoke to them 57 times over the same period, Fumio Kishida 90 times, Yoshihide Suga 50 times and Shinzo Abe, Takaichi’s mentor, 44 times. She is, however, in line with her predecessors in terms of major press conferences on significant dates in the political calendar.
Conversely, Takaichi posted to her account on X 370 times over the same five-month period, an average of twice a day. As of March 27, she had 2.8 million followers on the platform.
“She uses it as a tool to say what she wants directly to a wide range of people, including young people,” a source close to the prime minister said.
In a notable example of Takaichi’s approach, when reports emerged in late February that she had given gift catalogs to LDP House of Representatives lawmakers elected in the Feb. 8 general election, she declined to respond to reporters at her office, saying she had “explained in parliament and on X.”
By contrast, when Ishiba faced controversy over gift vouchers to lawmakers who won their first seats in the 2024 lower house election, he did speak to reporters.
When Takaichi does address the press at her office, it tends to be in moments of crisis management such as earthquakes or missile launches by North Korea, or before or after major diplomatic engagements.
“Her stance is not to respond to what is asked but to say what she wants to say,” according to Toru Takeda, a professor in journalism theory at Senshu University. “The media need to rigorously verify information, and the government must heed critical views,” he added.
© KYODO
