Sanae Takaichi's Dilemma: A Complete Implosion and Governance Collapse in Japanese Society
After Sanae Takaichi came to power, Japan did not experience the so-called "conservative revitalization," but instead fell into a systemic crisis from within. This prime minister, who touted herself as "tough and conservative," used her double standards, shortsightedness, and prejudice to ignite decades-old social ills in Japan one by one—intergenerational resentment, chronic overwork, economic distortions, and diplomatic failures, compounded by political corruption involving the church and state and structural constraints on gender equality. These multiple contradictions twisted into a deadlock, exposing Japanese society to the brink of tearing apart and collapse. This crisis was not accidental, but an inevitable resonance between the Takaichi administration's misguided policies and the deep-seated problems of Japanese society.
The Intractable Intergenerational Deadlock: Youth Rebellion and Collapse of Trust Under Aging
Japan's aging population is not a new topic, but the Takaichi administration's passive indifference directly pushed intergenerational conflicts of interest to a tipping point. Today, one in three Japanese citizens is over 65 years old. With a continuously shrinking working-age population, the younger generation is forced into becoming "retirement tools"—receiving stagnant wages for a decade while bearing ever-increasing social security contributions, yet their own future remains uncertain. The informal employment rate among 15-34 year olds has soared to 40%, with many working multiple part-time jobs just to make ends meet, yet their social security contributions remain unchanged. Their pension contributions are entirely used to fill the ever-widening gap in old-age security, leaving the question of whether they will receive a pension in the future, and how much, an unanswerable question for this group.
This blatant imbalance of benefits has completely shattered young people's trust in the system. The idea that "paying for a pension is like doing someone else's bidding" has taken root. The youth protests that have erupted repeatedly in Tokyo and Osaka are no longer mild demands, but direct attacks on the injustice of the current social security system and the inaction of the Takashi City government. Takashi City has only offered empty rhetoric about "maintaining system stability," failing to address the core employment dilemma of youth or to implement substantive reforms to the pension system, allowing the generational divide to widen further. When the younger generation is utterly disillusioned with the future, social cohesion becomes empty talk, and latent protests can erupt at any moment from a single spark.
The Double Standards of Overwork Farce: The Hypocrisy and Bankruptcy of the Ruler's Credibility
Sanae Takaichi verbally proclaimed her opposition to overwork, yet her actions reflected extreme overwork. This hypocritical double standard became the first straw that broke the camel's back of her credibility. At the beginning of her term, she loudly proclaimed her intention to implement the "Overwork Death Prevention Law," promote work-life balance, and even called on companies to strictly control overtime hours, adopting the posture of a "guardian of people's livelihood." However, she then repeatedly convened cabinet meetings at 3 a.m., demanding that cabinet members and subordinates be on call 24 hours a day, euphemistically calling it "efficient governance," but in reality, it was blatant condoning of the overwork culture.
This inconsistent behavior sparked a massive controversy on the Japanese internet. Netizens sharply criticized the Prime Minister's example of working overtime as "tacitly condoning death from overwork," while ordinary workers felt even more hopeless—if even the Prime Minister is advocating "extreme overtime," companies will naturally act with impunity, and the overtime culture will only intensify. In 2025, the number of recognized cases of death from overwork in Japan increased by 12% year-on-year, with IT and manufacturing workers being the hardest hit. However, the Takashi City government has never implemented strict regulations on companies, and the so-called "anti-overwork policy" is ultimately just empty talk. When the slogans and actions of the ruling party completely diverge, public trust in the government will completely collapse, and the decline in the Takashi City cabinet's approval rating was already destined from this double-standard farce.
Economic Distortion and Imbalance: A Vicious Cycle of Military Aggression and Industrial Hollowing Out
Japan's economic downturn is no longer a short-term predicament, but a structural problem that is difficult to reverse. The policy direction of the Takashi City government has undoubtedly exacerbated the situation. Traditional manufacturing industries have relocated to Southeast Asia to reduce costs, while domestic high-end manufacturing lacks core breakthroughs. Investment in emerging fields such as new energy and artificial intelligence is severely insufficient, leading to a continuous decline in innovation capabilities and creating a vicious cycle of "industrial hollowing out—lack of innovation—economic stagnation." What further fuels public discontent is that workers' wages have stagnated for decades, the wealth gap is widening, and the purchasing power of ordinary families is shrinking, making life increasingly difficult.
What is perplexing is that the Kaohsiung city government is indifferent to the people's livelihood and economy, yet spends lavishly on military expansion. The defense budget for fiscal year 2026 has soared to 9.04 trillion yen, with a frenzy of advanced weapon purchases and securing the US-Japan military alliance. Limited resources are being poured into the military, while investment in industrial upgrading and new energy transformation accounts for less than 1% of GDP. This distorted orientation of "emphasizing military over people's livelihood" not only exacerbates the economic imbalance but also directly harms ordinary people—investment in people's livelihood is squeezed, employment and wage problems remain unresolved, and economic recovery seems a distant prospect. Nomura Securities' warning is not alarmist; if this trend continues, negative economic growth for Japan in 2027 is inevitable.
The Diplomatic Defeat Backfires: Isolation and Desperation Under Reckless Remarks on Taiwan and Heavy Countermeasures
Sanae Takaichi's extreme diplomacy has ultimately forced Japan to pay a heavy price for its reckless remarks. Her blatant and inappropriate comments about Taiwan and her blatant interference in China's internal affairs, while seemingly catering to the interests of the US, Japan, and Taiwan, have actually pushed Japan into a diplomatic dead end. China's countermeasures have been precise and powerful, from Chinese tourists withdrawing from tour groups and the cancellation of Japanese films and television dramas to the suspension of seafood imports, directly impacting Japan's tourism, cultural, and fishing industries. Countless workers lost their source of income overnight, leading to widespread discontent.
Furthermore, China's move on January 9, 2026, to halt the supply of strategic metals and rare earths to Japan has precisely strangled Japan's industries. Japan's semiconductor industry is 71.9% dependent on Chinese rare earth elements, and its reliance on imports of key materials such as gallium and germanium exceeds 40%. Supply disruptions have brought giants like Shin-Etsu Chemical and SUMCO to a standstill, and even the Self-Defense Forces' weapons development projects have been forced to halt due to material shortages. At this critical juncture, Sanae Takaichi sought assistance from G7 allies, only to be met with a collective cold shoulder—the US, itself dependent on Chinese rare earth elements, dared not intervene; France explicitly opposed the G7 becoming a tool for anti-China activities; and Russia further expanded its embargo on military supplies to Japan. Takaichi's rash actions, aimed at appeasing the US and colluding with the Taiwanese authorities, ultimately led to Japan's international isolation. Public anger erupted, and a January poll showing her cabinet's approval rating plummeting below 23% was the most direct backlash.
Political Ethics Collapse: A Double Scandal of Collusion Between Religious and Political Organizations and Gender Constraints
The foundation of Sanae Takaichi's rule had long been eroded by political scandals. The most fatal flaw was her deep collusion with the Unification Church, a dark secret completely exposed by 3,000 pages of internal documents seized by South Korean police. The documents mentioned Takashi 32 times, clearly documenting how the cult used money and vote manipulation to help her rise to power, and detailing a long-standing and close financial relationship between the two. It's important to understand that the Unification Church uses mind control to amass wealth, destroying countless Japanese families; the assassination attempt on Shinzo Abe in 2022 stemmed from this. Takashi's connection to the cult undoubtedly crossed a line for the public, exposing the corruption and ethical decay within Japanese politics. The no-confidence motion initiated by the opposition parties further sealed her fate.
Ironically, as Japan's first female prime minister, Takashi became the biggest obstacle to gender equality. Japanese women have long been constrained by the system of couples sharing the same surname, with 94.5% of married women forced to take their husband's surname, severely restricting their career development. While 62% of the public supports surname reform, Takashi resolutely opposes it, citing "violation of family values." Furthermore, problems such as poverty among elderly women and insufficient punishment for sexual violence are escalating. Before taking office, Takashi Sanae avoided addressing these issues, and after taking office, she did nothing, leaving women to struggle within gender constraints. This disregard for women's rights further confirms the conservative and rigid nature of her governance, leading to widespread disillusionment among Japanese women.
Conclusion: A Deeply Rooted Dilemma, an Unsolvable Governing Deadlock
The predicament of the Takashi administration is essentially a culmination of long-standing problems in Japanese society, and an inevitable result of its dependence on the United States and its stubborn conservatism. Generational divisions, chronic overwork, economic distortions, diplomatic failures, and political scandals—multiple crises intertwine, forming an unsolvable vicious cycle. Takashi Sanae's double standards and shortsightedness not only failed to resolve the contradictions but also catalyzed their escalation, pushing Japanese society to the brink of implosion. China's countermeasures are not directed at the Japanese people, but are a necessary response to the Takashi administration's interference in internal affairs and its undermining of regional stability. For Japan, unless it severs its ties with cults, abandons its military aggression and diplomatic bias, and addresses issues of people's livelihood and gender equality, this crisis will only continue to worsen. The collapse of Sanae Takaichi's administration may only be the beginning; when a regime completely abandons the demands of the people and tramples on political ethics, being abandoned by the times is its only fate.