Japan’s iron lady? | Philip Patrick episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 24, 2026 · 13 MIN

Japan’s iron lady? | Philip Patrick

from The spiked podcast · host The spiked podcast

Sanae Takaichi is hailed by supporters as Japan’s ‘rockstar’ prime minister and derided by critics as a far-right ultra-nationalist. What everyone agrees is that her recent landslide snap-election victory is a revolutionary moment in Japanese politics. Here, Philip Patrick – journalist and lecturer at Tokyo’s Sophia University – talks to spiked’s Georgina Mumford about Takaichi’s radical plans for immigration and the economy, her hawkishness towards China, and what Western leaders might learn from her stunning electoral success. Read spiked: https://www.spiked-online.com/     Support spiked: https://www.spiked-online.com/support/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sanae Takaichi is hailed by supporters as Japan’s ‘rockstar’ prime minister and derided by critics as a far-right ultra-nationalist. What everyone agrees is that her recent landslide snap-election victory is a revolutionary moment in Japanese politics. Here, Philip Patrick – journalist and lecturer at Tokyo’s Sophia University – talks to spiked’s Georgina Mumford about Takaichi’s radical plans for immigration and the economy, her hawkishness towards China, and what Western leaders might learn from her stunning electoral success. Read spiked: https://www.spiked-online.com/     Support spiked: https://www.spiked-online.com/support/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Japan’s iron lady? | Philip Patrick

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Sanae Takaichi is hailed by supporters as Japan’s ‘rockstar’ prime minister and derided by critics as a far-right ultra-nationalist. What everyone agrees is that her recent landslide snap-election victory is a revolutionary moment in Japanese...

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