Beijing has yet to congratulate Takaichi, who holds controversial positions on Taiwan and Japanese wartime history.

A landmark development has paved the way for Sanae Takaichi to become Japan’s 104th prime minister and first woman to hold the country’s highest political office.

Japan’s first woman prime minister Sanae Takaichi’s public statements over the years - From international tourism, immigration, women’s maiden names, and visits to a controversial wartime shrine, Taka

Sanae Takaichi, a fan of Iron Maiden, had an improbable rise to power. Like her mentor, Shinzo Abe, she is expected to lead Japan to the right.

Takaichi, who is known to be an admirer of Britain's Margaret Thatcher, will get an early opportunity to meet President Donald Trump. They are both due to attend a meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in South Korea at the end of October, and they should find common cause on conservative issues such as immigration.

Sanae Takaichi took office as Japan's first female prime minister, but her surprisingly male-dominated cabinet and socially conservative track record have left some women ambivalent in a country that lags on gender equality.

Her comments come after her historic appointment on 21 October as Japan’s first female prime minister, after her party Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) entered a coalition with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party (Ishin), giving her the parliamentary support needed to avoid a runoff.