Japan appears poised to select a new leader, and this will likely shatter the country’s longstanding glass ceiling: Sanae Takaichi is all but guaranteed to be chosen as Japan’s next prime minister, making her the first woman to hold the office. Takaichi, recently elected as head of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is a conservative nationalist whose policies align with prior Japanese leaders on the right, most notably former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But while Takaichi might make history, she will also face challenges as she takes control of the Japanese government.

From heavy metal to politics

Takaichi, 64, was born in the city of Yamatokoriyama in Japan ’s Nara Prefecture. As a child, she was an “avid heavy metal drummer” from a family in which “politics was far remove

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