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Sanae Takaichi

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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

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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
Israeli President Isaac Herzog meets Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday.

Protest is the only option for the politically powerless

The prime minister and premier must take accountability for the demonstration at Town Hall – both for inviting the controversial Israeli leader to Australia, and attempting to deny citizens the right to protest.

Sanae Takaichi

The ‘Iron Lady’ looking to shake up the world order

Sanae Takaichi’s landslide Japanese election win gives her the green light for her ambitious economic plans. How she executes them matters for all of us.

  • Stephen Bartholomeusz

Japan’s election result is a geopolitical earthquake and a ‘very big deal’ for Australia

The Japanese people have just given Sanae Takaichi a super-majority in the parliament. It signals a period of great change ahead for one of Australia’s key allies.

  • Peter Hartcher
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Sanae Takaichi places a red rose on the name of one of her winning candidates at the LDP party’s headquarters.

Landslide win for Japan’s fledgling ‘Trump whisperer’ an opportunity for Canberra

The victory vindicates Sanae Takaichi’s decision to take a firm hand with China, which has been increasingly assertive in the Indo-Pacific.

  • Lisa Visentin
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, right, is popular with younger voters, in part due to her willingness to break the mould like drumming KPOP songs with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

‘Not from central casting’: Japan’s unconventional leader puts it all on the line

Sanae Takaichi is banking on a snap election to give her the mandate to run the country the way she wants to.

  • Lisa Visentin
TOKYO, JAPAN - JANUARY 23: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (R) attends the plenary session of the lower house of the Diet on January 23, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. Takaichi dissolved the lower house of the National Diet, calling a snap election for February 8th. (Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)

Japan to hold early election as Takaichi aims to capitalise on her popularity

Elected in October as Japan’s first female leader, Takaichi has been in office only three months, but she has seen strong approval ratings of about 70 per cent.

  • Mari Yamaguchi
Markets are getting increasingly nervous.

Melting down: Trump sent a warning by markets

Turmoil in two of the world’s key markets should make Donald Trump more conscious of America’s vulnerabilities.

  • Stephen Bartholomeusz