There’s a new heavy metal Prime Minister

Author Benedetta Baldin - 22.10.2025

Sanae Takaichi, a metal lover and occasional drummer, was recently elected as Japan’s first female prime minister, as reported by MetalInjection. According to a CNN feature of Takaichi, she still plays drums and is a lover of vintage hard rock and heavy metal bands like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden.

I play after [my husband] goes to sleep.

Takaichi went into further detail on her passion for motorcycles and music in a 2021 interview with Friday News.

When I was in high school, I was often late and used a motorcycle to get to school. I wore a jersey under my skirt, straddled the bike, parked it behind the school, and climbed over the wire fence to get to school every morning. I know it’s against school rules, so I know it’s not allowed. In college, I spent my days immersed in music. I was a heavy metal fan and played in four bands as a drummer. When I was in my second or third year, I even played in a professional backing band. In my second or third year, I was in a professional backing band, playing drums behind Mariko Kobayashi, the Janice of Naniwa. It was a lot of fun.

As evidenced by her rendition of X Japan‘s 1994 single “Rusty Nail” below, she obviously has a really good voice.

If ever there was a reason to love Japan even more, well, here’s one. Former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is a huge fan of the rock/metal group X Japan. Another heavy metal fan was the late French MP Patrick Roy. Since 2019, Sanna Marin, 37, has served as Finland’s prime minister. She has admitted to being a huge fan of Rage Against the Machine. Additionally, she was seen at Ruisrock wearing leg-baring shorts and a leather jacket.