Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, whose Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has secured a historic more than two-thirds majority in Japan’s powerful lower house, has disclosed relatively modest personal wealth.
According to official information cited by Nippon.com, Takaichi and her husband, former lawmaker Taku Yamamoto, reported combined assets of about ¥32.1 million (around US$220,000) as of December 2025, ranking her 10th among cabinet ministers in terms of declared assets.
Takaichi’s assets include properties in Nara Prefecture worth ¥11.4 million, while Yamamoto owns properties worth ¥10.6 million and bank deposits of around ¥10 million. Takaichi also owns two vehicles.
Personal life
Taku Yamamoto, whom she first married in 2004, divorced in 2017 and remarried in 2021. The couple have no children together, although Takaichi adopted Yamamoto’s children from a previous marriage and has grandchildren. Yamamoto suffered a stroke in 2025, leaving him partially paralyzed, and Takaichi now acts as his caretaker.
An overwhelming victory
The asset disclosure comes days after Takaichi consolidated his power following a historic victory in early elections. Public broadcaster NHK reported that the LDP alone won 316 seats in the 465-member House of Representatives, comfortably surpassing the 261-seat threshold for an absolute majority.
The result represents the party’s largest number of seats since its founding in 1955, surpassing the previous record of 300 seats achieved under former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone in 1986. While the ruling bloc does not have a majority in the upper house, the extent of the victory in the lower house gives Takaichi considerable legislative leeway until the next election cycle in 2028 in 1986.
Public image and personal story
Takaichi has developed a reputation as a hardline conservative with a populist edge that resonates strongly with younger voters. Her rise has also renewed interest in her personal journey.
Born in Yamatokōriyama, Nara Prefecture to a middle-class, dual-income family, she worked her way through university, played drums in a heavy metal band in her youth, and later built a career as a television announcer and writer before entering politics.
Early life and education
Takaichi’s father worked for an automobile company associated with Toyota, while her mother served in the Nara Prefectural Police. Despite qualifying for elite private universities such as Keio and Waseda, she opted for Kobe University, commuting long hours from home and supporting herself with part-time jobs. She graduated in business administration in 1984 and later enrolled at the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management.
Entry into politics
Takaichi entered national politics as an independent in the 1993 general election, joining the LDP in 1996. A close protégé of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, she rose steadily through the party ranks, serving in economic and technology portfolios and later as minister of internal affairs and communications, where she became known for her tough stance on regulation, media reform and governance.
She has emerged as a central figure in Abe-era conservatism, openly supporting constitutional revision, a stronger military posture and a revisionist view of Japan’s wartime history.
