Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi — the first woman ever to hold the post — appointed only two female ministers to her cabinet today, despite having pledged to maintain a gender balance “à la Scandinavia.”

Takaichi, an admirer of Britain’s late former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, had said last month that the gender composition of her government and of the executive committee of her ruling party “would be comparable to that of Scandinavian countries.”

Japan ranked 118th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, with women making up just 15% of the lower house of parliament. In contrast, Iceland, Finland, and Norway occupy the top three positions in the ranking.

The two women joining the new cabinet are Satsuki Katayama, appointed as Japan’s first female finance minister, and Kimi Onoda, who becomes minister of economic security.

Toshimitsu Motegi, who previously negotiated a trade deal with the United States during President Donald Trump’s first term, takes over the foreign affairs portfolio. Among other appointments, Shinjiro Koizumi, Takaichi’s rival in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race, has been named defense minister.

The 64-year-old prime minister has said she hopes to raise public awareness of women’s health issues and has spoken openly about her own experience of menopause.

However, her views on gender equality place Takaichi to the right of Japan’s already conservative LDP. She opposes revising a law that requires married couples to share the same surname and supports maintaining male-only imperial succession.