Takaichi among Time magazine’s 100 most influential people

Time magazine has included Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in its selection of the world’s 100 most influential people this year, along with other world leaders.

Also on the list are Alysa Liu, gold medalist in women’s figure skating at the Milan Cortina Olympic Games, fashion designer Ralph Lauren and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.It marked a “transformative and historic moment” when Takaichi became Japan’s first woman prime minister in October, Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike said in an introductory note.

The veteran lawmaker at last broke through an “iron ceiling” that kept women from the nation’s highest decision-making role, she said.

“This sent a jolt through a political landscape long dominated by male inheritance.”Koike, a former lawmaker who became the first woman governor of Japan’s capital in 2016 and is currently serving her third term, added that her compatriot’s election was a “solid step” toward a future where women, who make up half the population, can thrive and “shine more brightly.

“The magazine also picked leaders such as Pope Leo XIV, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.Last year, Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada was among those who made the list.