Sanae Takaichi is not who you think she is

After Sanae Takaichi’s landmark election win, many who normally pay little attention to Japan are taking an interest, leading some to project their beliefs onto that soon-to-be-iconic blue suit.

Conservatives are delighting in their view that she is the latest fringe figure to attain power, a position they believe she won thanks to her unwavering opposition to immigration. Liberals, meanwhile, seem to think her victory marks some kind of rightward shift in the country, perhaps even a step toward fascism.

But much of what you read about Takaichi is divorced from reality. Her victory is a historic one, both in its scope and in her position as the country’s first female leader. But she is far from the extremist that either side wants to paint her as.