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Kyodo

Taku Yamamoto, husband of Japan’s first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, said he hopes to support his wife as a “stealth husband”, adding, “Unlike in the West, it is better for the partner to stay out of the spotlight here.”
A former fellow Liberal Democratic Party member in the House of Representatives, Yamamoto said he was initially “drawn to the contrast” between Takaichi’s tough exterior and her femininity.
The couple, who married in 2004, divorced in 2017 over political differences but later remarried. They now live together in a housing complex for Diet members in Tokyo’s Akasaka district.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Yamamoto described his wife as “a person who studies harder than anyone”, with her room full of documents and books.

Both were members of a faction then led by former prime minister Yoshiro Mori when they first married. They began a serious relationship after Takaichi lost her seat in the 2003 lower house election and Yamamoto hired her younger brother as his secretary.
While Takaichi is known as a conservative hardliner, Yamamoto is seen as dovish-leaning. Their political differences came to a head during the 2012 LDP presidential race, when Yamamoto backed former prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, while Takaichi supported Shinzo Abe, who won the contest and returned to power.
The rivalry between their camps reportedly became so intense that the couple stopped talking about the leadership race at home.


When they announced their divorce in 2017, they issued a joint statement citing “differences in political views.”
Yamamoto revealed that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year and suffered a stroke earlier this year.
“She worries about my health, so I want to make sure she doesn’t push herself too hard either,” he said.


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Japan

Sanae Takaichi’s husband vows ‘stealth’ support for Japan’s first female PM

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Taku Yamamoto revealed his ‘stealth’ role, rekindled marriage, and health struggles, explaining that in Japan, partners must avoid the spotlight


Taku Yamamoto revealed his ‘stealth’ role, rekindled marriage, and health struggles, explaining that in Japan, partners must avoid the spotlight.


Sanae Takaichi’s husband vows ‘stealth’ support for Japan’s first female PM

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Taku Yamamoto revealed his ‘stealth’ role, rekindled marriage, and health struggles, explaining that in Japan, partners must avoid the spotlight

Taku Yamamoto revealed his ‘stealth’ role, rekindled marriage, and health struggles, explaining that in Japan, partners must avoid the spotlight