Japan’s newly appointed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s husband, Taku Yamamoto, has pledged to support her discreetly as she takes charge as the country’s first woman premier, describing himself as a “stealth husband” who prefers to stay out of the public eye while taking care of home duties.
“Unlike in the West, it is better for a partner to stay out of the spotlight,” according to news agency AFP, Yamamoto told a local news channel on Tuesday after Takaichi assumed office. “I want to provide solid support as ‘a stealth husband’ to ensure that my presence does not become an obstacle,” he told media channels.
Being a former lawmaker from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the 73-year-old husband said his priority was to help Takaichi “pursue her vision of Prime Minister” as she leads Tokyo's government with limited female representation.
However, the couple’s own life has been a journey of multiple ups and downs, Yamamoto and Takaichi, who first married in 2004 got divorced in 2017 citing “differences in political views".
But fate had something else in store, and the estranged couple re-united in 2021. Their remarriage reportedly followed Yamamoto’s support for Takaichi during her earlier bid for LDP leadership, which she lost. Shortly after, Yamamoto failed to retain his parliamentary seat in a snap election.
{{/usCountry}}But fate had something else in store, and the estranged couple re-united in 2021. Their remarriage reportedly followed Yamamoto’s support for Takaichi during her earlier bid for LDP leadership, which she lost. Shortly after, Yamamoto failed to retain his parliamentary seat in a snap election.
{{/usCountry}}According to media reports, the couple now lives in a parliamentary housing complex in Tokyo, where Takaichi helps care for Yamamoto following his stroke and prostate cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
‘Licence to cook’
Yamamoto first proposed to Takaichi over the phone two decades ago, telling her, “As I have a chef’s licence, I’ll make sure you eat delicious food throughout your life,” AFP reported, citing Jiji Press.
Takaichi, once a heavy metal drummer and an admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, described him as “a rather unsociable person” she initially found difficult to be around.
“If you're seriously looking for a marriage partner, I'm divorced so I'll run as a candidate,” Yamamoto had told her, according to her website.
Throughout their marriage, Yamamoto maintained his place in the kitchen, reportedly telling her, “The kitchen is my domain, so please don’t enter.”
Only two women in cabinet
Despite breaking barriers as Japan’s first woman Prime Minister, Takaichi, 64, remains firmly rooted on the right of the LDP. Her cabinet includes only two other women — Satsuki Katayama as finance minister and Kimi Onoda as economic security minister.
Takaichi opposes changing Japan’s 19th-century law requiring married couples to share the same surname — a rule that overwhelmingly results in women taking their husband’s name.
The couple themselves experienced the implications of the law: during their first marriage, she adopted Yamamoto’s surname for official purposes; in their second, he took hers.