'Female Abe' Takaichi: "Let's Send a Minister to 'Takeshima Day' with Confidence"

"Minister Should Attend 'Takeshima Day' as Government Representative"
Hardline Stance on Dokdo Issue Seen as Appeal to Conservative Voters Ahead of LDP Leadership Election

Sanae Takaichi, former Minister in charge of Economic Security and a candidate in the presidential election of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has expressed a far-right stance regarding the Dokdo issue.

According to Yonhap News Agency on September 28, Takaichi stated on the previous day, September 27, that a minister should attend the annual "Takeshima Day" event, organized by Shimane Prefecture, as a government representative. "Takeshima" is the name Japan uses to refer to Dokdo.

In a debate released by the Liberal Democratic Party that day, Takaichi said, "It is desirable for a minister to attend Takeshima Day with confidence," adding, "There is no need to be concerned about others' opinions, and it is necessary to clearly assert that it is Japanese territory." Since 2013, the Japanese government has dispatched vice-ministerial officials to the event, but she insisted that this should be elevated to a ministerial level.

Sanae Takaichi, former Minister in charge of Economic Security, running for the presidency of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Her remarks were made in response to a debate moderator who, while mentioning the Senkaku Islands (known as Diaoyu Dao in China) and the Dokdo issue, pointed out that "these are places Japanese people cannot visit." The Senkaku Islands are a region where Japan and China are in territorial conflict. While other candidates mainly focused on the Senkaku issue and made statements close to the government's existing position regarding Dokdo, Takaichi took a more hardline approach.

Takaichi is considered a leading candidate in this election, along with Shinjiro Koizumi, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. She is known in Japanese politics as a representative far-right politician, often referred to as the "female Abe," and has consistently visited the Yasukuni Shrine, where Class-A war criminals from the Pacific War are enshrined.

In last year's presidential election, she stated that she would visit Yasukuni Shrine if she became Prime Minister. However, in this election, she has taken a more cautious stance, saying she would "make an appropriate judgment."

However, since the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election is directly linked to the selection of Japan's next Prime Minister, some analysts believe that her strong rhetoric regarding the Dokdo issue during the debate was a move to appeal to conservative voters concerned with territorial issues.