Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was ranked the third most powerful woman in the world by Forbes on Dec 10, according to Kyodo News.
The list of the top 100 influential women for 2025 placed Takaichi behind European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde, with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni in fourth.
Takaichi is the only Japan-based woman on the list, joining notable East Asian leaders such as Sandy Ran Xu of JD.com and Tan Su Shan of DBS.
Forbes described Takaichi as a hard-line conservative who cites former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as a role model, noting she steps into leadership amid challenges of inflation and wage stagnation in the world’s fourth-largest economy.
The ranking spans women across 25 countries, with 44% in CEO roles and half based in North America.
