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Sanae Takaichi

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What do Margaret Thatcher and Pauline Hanson have in common?

Like Thatcher, Hanson won’t use the F-word. But it’s central to her appeal

Conservative female politicians are slow to champion feminism, but none more so than populist strongwomen such as Pauline Hanson.

  • Jacqueline Maley

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Illustration by Dionne Gain

Where have all the fiscal hawks gone? We need to find some – and quickly

Politics in the democratic world has moved decisively against fiscal responsibility. A reckoning looms for the global economy.

  • Michael Brennan
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Diplomatic measures bear fruit

And smartphones push our buttons.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi with Anthony Albanese at Parliament House on Monday.

Japan’s ‘iron lady’ PM is a trailblazer, but her Australian visit was a missed opportunity

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is a remarkable world leader, but her blink-and-you-miss-it visit to Australia proved remarkably uneventful.

  • Matthew Knott

Germany and Japan once threatened democracy. Now they’re saving it

Forced to disarm after WWII, Japan and Germany are beginning to assume responsibility for preserving the world order.

  • Peter Hartcher
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, at ASEAN.

We need to hedge against controlling China and messy US on AI: Hello Japan!

Japan’s new leader, now visiting Australia, is investing heavily in future technology. Australia needs to join her.

  • David Wroe
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Anthony Albanese and Sanae Takaichi

Australia urged to consider back-up plan for subs ahead of top-level meeting

Japan’s first female prime minister will meet the PM on Monday after her hawkish stance on China proved electorally popular.

  • Matthew Knott
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi with Donald Trump.

Don’t mention the war! Trump drops Pearl Harbour bomb in another excruciating White House moment

Japan’s prime minister was bracing for a difficult meeting with the US president when it took an unexpected diversion back to Japan’s role in World War II.

  • Lisa Visentin
US President Donald Trump during a meeting with Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s prime minister, not pictured, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 19, 2026. Takaichi warned she’s facing an “extremely difficult” meeting with Donald Trump, after the US president criticized Japan for rebuffing his demand for warships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg

European leaders, Japan offer to help Trump unblock Strait of Hormuz

In a meeting with Japan’s prime minister, Donald Trump said he didn’t warn allies about his attack on Iran because he wanted it to be a surprise, like the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.

  • Michael Koziol
Quad leaders: Anthony Albanese, Donald Trump, Narendra Modi and Sanae Takaichi.

Crisafulli to lobby Washington to secure Queensland Quad summit

The premier is ramping up his push for US President Donald Trump and other Quad leaders to hold their next leaders’ summit in Queensland.

  • Cameron Atfield