Move over, world leaders — Japan just elected its first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, and she’s already breaking more than one kind of barrier. The 64-year-old conservative politician might run the country with an iron hand, but at night, she apparently wields drumsticks of pure steel.
CNN reports that Takaichi is a lifelong fan of classic hard rock and heavy metal — Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple — the holy trinity of riffs and rebellion. And yes, she still plays drums:
“I play after my husband goes to sleep,” she admitted.
You can almost picture it: Japan’s Prime Minister sneaking out of a cabinet meeting, slipping into her pajamas, and double-pedaling her frustrations away to Burn by Deep Purple.
From Parliament to Power Chords
Takaichi’s love for loud music isn’t a new revelation. In a 2021 interview, she confessed she’d been a teenage rule-breaker, roaring to school on a motorcycle, climbing fences, and playing in four different bands during her college years. At one point, she even performed in a professional backing band, pounding drums behind Mariko Kobayashi — the so-called “Janice of Naniwa.”
Imagine that: Japan’s future Prime Minister once headbanged onstage before she ever stood at a podium.
Guest Appearance on Babymetal Radio
Before her election, Takaichi even appeared on Babymetal’s Metal Radio — a Tokyo FM show hosted by Su-metal, Moametal, and Momometal. The program’s mission is to “unite the world through metal,” and let’s just say they nailed it.
During the show, Takaichi revealed that her metal journey began in elementary school with Black Sabbath. Then came Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water and Burn, followed by a stint in a “really crappy” middle-school band where she played keyboards. By high school, she had switched to drums, covering the Rolling Stones, UFO, and Rainbow.
“When I get irritated by my husband’s choice of words or behavior, I play the electronic drums after he’s gone to bed,” she said. “Burn by Deep Purple is a staple.”
That’s right — while other politicians unwind with whiskey and bad karaoke, Japan’s Prime Minister channels her fury through power fills.
Metal Diplomacy Incoming?
Her tastes go deep: she’s into Michael Schenker’s “Into The Arena,” Riot’s Narita, and even names X Japan’s Yoshiki as her favorite musician. Somewhere out there, Bruce Dickinson is probably wondering if he should call her for a diplomatic Iron Maiden collaboration.
So don’t be surprised if the next G7 summit ends with Sanae Takaichi jumping onstage, grabbing the sticks, and hammering out Doctor Doctor. After all, the world could use a bit more double-kick diplomacy.