Japan's new leader drums to relieve stress. She has many reasons to reach for her sticks
... Respected figure: Margaret Thatcher. Personal goal: To become Japan's Iron Lady.
It was only after two failed attempts that Sanae Takaichi finally achieved her long-held ambition. In a historic parliamentary vote on 21 October, the 64-year-old was elected Japan's first female prime minister.
She's a colourful figure on the right of the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), who talks tough on immigration and has some conservative views on women's equality.
A former government minister and TV host, and once a drummer in a heavy metal band, Takaichi will now face the challenge of leading not only a party struggling to regain voter trust after scandals and dealing with the burgeoning far right - but a country tackling a sluggish economy, low birth rates and rising geopolitical tensions.
Takaichi was born in Nara Prefecture in 1961. Her father was an office worker and her mother a police officer. Politics was far removed from her upbringing.
When she played in the band, she was famous for carrying many drum sticks because she would break them during intense performances. She remains a fan of heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden and Deep Purple and she still has an electric drum kit at home, she's told reporters.
Takaichi was also a scuba diver and a car enthusiast - her beloved Toyota Supra is now displayed in a Nara museum. ...
Takaichi saw Americans mixing up Japanese, Chinese and Korean language and cuisine, observing how Japan was often grouped together with China and South Korea.
"Unless Japan can defend itself, its fate will always be at the mercy of shallow US opinion," she concluded. ...
