A charismatic straight talker, Japan's Takaichi is poised to expand her power in Sunday's vote
Associated Press
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FILE - Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 17, 2025. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP, File)FILE - In this photo provided by the Prime Minister's Office of Japan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, right, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung play drums together after their talks in Nara, western Japan, Jan. 13, 2026. (Prime Minister's Office of Japan via AP, File)FILE - Lawmakers applaud as Sanae Takaichi, center, is elected as Japan's new prime minister during the extraordinary session of the lower house in Tokyo, Oct. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)FILE - Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, poses for a photo with his new Cabinet members, including Internal Affairs Minister Sanae Takaichi, bottom right, at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Sept. 3, 2014. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)FILE- Visitors look at souvenir items featuring Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at a shop in Nara, Takaichi's hometown, western Japan, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
FILE - Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 17, 2025. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP, File)