Japan PM Takaichi’s personal touch on social media draws bouquets, brickbats
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Some officials are concerned about Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's use of social media.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
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TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s active presence on social media has captured the public’s interest, and while her honest and humorous posts draw people in, they pose the risk of online backlash.
Ms Takaichi posts daily on social media using her own words, with topics ranging from her daily life to government initiatives and diplomatic achievements.
After the Cabinet approved a supplementary budget proposal for fiscal 2025 on the evening of Nov 28, Ms Takaichi made the following posts on her X account:
“We have been able to realise a proposal that gives careful consideration to ‘fiscal sustainability.’”
“We will make sure to secure the trust of the market based on the idea of ‘responsible, active fiscal policy.’”
In the posts, she emphasised that the amount of government bonds to be issued would be lower than the last fiscal year.
She made the posts in consideration of the markets concerned about the deterioration of public finances as the yen continues to weaken against the US dollar and long-term interest rates continue to rise.
Ms Takaichi has over 2.36 million followers on X and posts almost daily.
Although her secretaries sometimes write drafts for her on policy-related content, Ms Takaichi essentially thinks up what to write on her own, according to a source close to the prime minister.
Ms Takaichi sometimes writes about her private life and differs from previous prime ministers, whose social media posts were mainly about their public duties.
A post by Ms Takaichi on Nov 8 said: “I couldn’t go to a hair salon. So, I cut my hair on my own, but it looks terrible. My husband is laughing at it.” The post, with its air of friendliness, has been viewed more than 20 million times.
When it comes to diplomacy, Ms Takaichi actively posts pictures of her interacting with foreign leaders.
On Oct 28, she posted a photo of her with US President Donald Trump, taken in the presidential helicopter during his visit to Japan. On Oct. 31, she posted a candid photo of her smiling with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the waiting room of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea.
She also sometimes creates posts in response to people talking about her.
In one instance, her husband Taku Yamamoto, a former member of the House of Representatives, had been awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in the 2025 autumn decorations.
Ms Takaichi posted: “Although I’ve seen some posts speculating that this is because he is the husband of the prime minister, the Cabinet decision on the decoration was made before I took office, during the Cabinet of former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.”
However, communicating directly with the public entails risks.
On her way to a Group of 20 summit on Nov 21, she posted: “I may have to buy clothes that me look superior in diplomatic negotiations, even if they are too expensive for me.” She made the post in response to being asked during a Diet session to “engage in diplomatic negotiations in Japan’s finest clothes”.
However, her post caused controversy due her using the word “superior”.
Some officials in the Prime Minister’s Office are concerned about her use of social media, with one saying, “She needs to be more careful about her language.” JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
