Right-Wing Leaders of Italy and Japan Become Fast Friends

Meloni and Takaichi, Right-Wing Trailblazers, Become Fast FriendsAt a meeting in Tokyo, Prime Ministers Giorgia Meloni of Italy and Sanae Takaichi of Japan bonded over being conservative women at the pinnacle of power.Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, left, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.Credit...Pool photo by Toru HanaiJan. 16, 2026, 5:07 a.m. ETThey called one other affectionately by their first names: Giorgia and Sanae. They laughed and smiled as they posed for portraits. They spoke about the bond they felt as women who had shattered the glass ceiling.Prime Ministers Giorgia Meloni of Italy and Sanae Takaichi of Japan met in Tokyo on Friday for their first extended talks since Ms. Takaichi’s election last fall. They discussed defense, trade and culture, and vowed to bring the relationship between their two countries to new heights.But the meeting was perhaps most striking for its imagery: two conservative women at the pinnacle of power, who both beat the odds to become leaders of deeply patriarchal societies. As the only two women among the leaders of Group of 7 nations — and as heads of conservative-leaning parties — they are now some of the most influential chief executives in the world.Ms. Takaichi, who took office in October, and Ms. Meloni, who rose to power in 2022, found an easy chemistry. At a joint news conference, Ms. Takaichi, 64, offered a toast for Ms. Meloni’s 49th birthday, which fell on Thursday. She presented Ms. Meloni with a basket of gifts, including “Hello Kitty” souvenirs.“I’d like to celebrate Giorgia’s birthday together with Japanese people,” she said. “Congratulations!”Ms. Meloni posted an anime-style selfie on X, saying she felt a sense of “friendship and rapport” with Ms. Takaichi.The two women first got to know each other last November, at a meeting of the world’s 20 largest economies in South Africa. A video of the encounter, in which Ms. Takaichi threw open her arms and said “Meloni,” was widely circulated in Japan.Ms. Meloni and Ms. Takaichi have a lot in common. Neither comes from a long line of politicians, and they had modest childhoods. Ms. Meloni was raised by a single mother in a working-class family in Rome. Ms. Takaichi’s mother worked for the local police department, and her father worked for a car parts maker.Despite their similar paths to breaking the glass ceiling, neither Ms. Meloni nor Ms. Takaichi is pushing policies aimed at empowering women.Ms. Takaichi promised to appoint a large number of women to her cabinet, but only two of 18 officials are women. She does not back a change in Japanese law that would allow married couples to use separate surnames — a law that results in most married women taking their husband’s names, whether they want to or not. And in Italy, while Ms. Meloni consistently talks about the importance of families, it is in the context of heterosexual marriages and traditional roles.“Neither have particularly women-friendly policies on their agendas,” said Junko Terao, editor of Asia and the Pacific for Internazionale, a weekly newsmagazine based in Rome. “Both come from conservative right-wing backgrounds, and they are not even close to what we can call a feminist culture.”Ms. Meloni and Ms. Takaichi face similar challenges, as both Italy and Japan grapple with aging and declining populations. They have both called for strict controls on immigration, despite demand for foreign labor.Ms. Meloni and Ms. Takaichi are also dealing with the unpredictable foreign policy of the United States under President Trump. Italy and Japan have traditionally depended on Washington for defense and economic partnerships. As leaders of nationalist parties, Ms. Meloni and Ms. Takaichi must also balance their efforts to court Mr. Trump with domestic political pressures.In recent years, Italy and Japan have worked to reduce their reliance on American defense programs, including by developing a new fighter jet, along with Britain, to be used by their respective militaries. Ms. Meloni and Ms. Takaichi vowed on Friday to push forward with the project.During their meeting, Ms. Meloni and Ms. Takaichi pledged to elevate the relationship between Italy and Japan, saying they would form a “special strategic partnership.” They said that would include expanding the supply chain for critical minerals, strengthening defense ties and promoting space exploration.The history of the moment was front and center. Ms. Takaichi invited Ms. Meloni to meet the only two women serving in her cabinet — Satsuki Katayama, the finance minister, and Kimi Onoda, the minister overseeing policies on foreign nationals. The women chatted about politics and posed for portraits.Ms. Meloni said her relationship with Ms. Takaichi was “quickly poised to become a solid friendship, even a personal one, clearly always in the mutual interest of our nations.” “With Sanae, we also share the fact of being the first two women to lead their peoples, and this clearly represents a great honor for us,” she said. “But above all, it represents a great responsibility. A responsibility that I think we can shoulder.”Hisako Ueno contributed reporting from Tokyo.Javier C. Hernández is the Tokyo bureau chief for The Times, leading coverage of Japan and the region. He has reported from Asia for much of the past decade, previously serving as China correspondent in Beijing.Motoko Rich is the Times bureau chief in Rome, where she covers Italy, the Vatican and Greece.SKIP