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Sanae Takaichi becomes Japan’s first female prime minister, citing Thatcher inspiration
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As Britain marked the 100th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher’s birth last week, Japan made history of its own on Tuesday by electing its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, a self-declared admirer of the «Iron Lady.»
Takaichi, 64, who has long cited Thatcher as a personal and political inspiration, was chosen by Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), during an extraordinary session of the country’s lower house, replacing former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and ending several months of political turbulence that saw the party lose its upper-house majority in July.
In remarks after her election, Takaichi said she felt «the tough work starts here» and promised to restore public confidence and strengthen Japan’s security posture. Over the years, she has praised Thatcher’s «strength and womanly warmth» as qualities she seeks to emulate. In 2013, shortly before Thatcher’s death, Takaichi met her in London — a moment she later described as «life-changing.»
THATCHER CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION EXAMINES HOW REAGAN PARTNERSHIP GUIDES MODERN US-UK RELATIONS
Lawmakers applaud as Sanae Takaichi, standing, was elected as Japan’s new prime minister during the extraordinary session of the lower house, in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)
Described by some in Japanese and international media as an ultraconservative and hard-line figure, Takaichi backs strengthening Japan’s defense posture, is a noted China hawk, and supports constitutional revision to expand the role of the Self-Defense Forces.
Economically, she praises Abenomics, the policies adopted by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and favors fiscal and monetary stimulus. Abe was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister and was assassinated in 2022 at a campaign rally, two years after leaving office.
«She’s very different from the other people in the Liberal Democratic Party, and that’s why she was selected this time,» said Gordon Chang, author and Asia analyst, in an interview with Fox News Digital. «After losing its upper-house majority, the LDP realized it needed to protect its right flank by electing someone more conservative than in the past — so the Margaret Thatcher comparison does make sense.»
Known for her hawkish stance on China, Takaichi is expected to maintain Japan’s close alignment with the United States. Chang said her election could bolster Washington’s strategic position in Asia, especially as tensions with Beijing remain high.
JAPAN CALLS AXIS OF CHINA, RUSSIA, NORTH KOREA THE ‘GRAVEST THREAT’ TO GLOBAL ORDER SINCE WWII
Left: Newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrives at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Right: British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher attends a British-French meeting with President François Mitterrand in the United Kingdom, May 5, 1990. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko/Photo by Georges De Keerle/Getty Images)
«She’s a hawk on China, and that’s exactly what’s needed right now,» Chang said. «That’s not going to upset President Trump — if anything, it strengthens his hand in dealing with Xi Jinping. It shows America’s alliances are strong and getting stronger.»
Takaichi’s rise has been hailed as a milestone for female representation, though Chang emphasized that her selection was driven more by ideology than identity.
«I don’t think she was chosen because she was a woman,» he said. «She was chosen because the party needed to shore up its right flank — and it just so happened that the most conservative of the possible candidates was a woman.»
U.S. President Donald Trump (L), Vice President JD Vance (C) and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth participate in a meeting with then Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington, DC. Shigeru, who took office in October, was the first Asian leader to visit Trump since he returned to the White House. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Even as she breaks barriers herself, Takaichi’s record underscores her conservative social vision. She is among the Japanese politicians who have resisted measures to advance women’s rights, supports the imperial family’s male-only succession, and opposes same-sex marriage as well as allowing separate surnames for married couples.
Like Thatcher, Takaichi rose from outside her country’s political elite. Her mother served in the Nara Prefectural Police, and her father worked for a Toyota-affiliated car company.
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Analysts say she now faces the challenge of turning symbolism into substance. Her nationalist positions could heighten friction with China, while her expansive spending plans for the world’s fourth-largest economy will be closely watched by international investors. At the same time, she must prepare to host President Donald Trump, who is expected to visit Japan next week.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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El presidente de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, señala un mapa de las Américas durante una nueva conferencia en Caracas, Venezuela. Foto APINTERNACIONAL
Cliff-hanger: Ciattarelli, Sherrill claim upper hand in crucial New Jersey showdown for governor
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BELLEVILLE, N.J. – As the competitive and combustible race for New Jersey governor barrels towards a possible photo finish, both major party nominees are playing up the positives.
«Our polling’s looking good. I think we’re feeling really good right now,» Democratic nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill touted as she spoke with Fox News Digital after headlining a major party gathering this week in this northern New Jersey township.
But with a week and a half to go until Election Day, the latest public opinion polls in one of only two races for governor in the nation this year suggest that Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli is narrowing the gap with Sherrill in one of only two races for governor this year across the country.
«I think we’re in a great position,» Ciattarelli said in a Fox News interview after a diner stop in Linden, N.J.
MAGA STARS HIT THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN CRUCIAL GUBERNATORIAL SHOWDOWN
In a state where registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans despite a GOP surge in registration this decade, four public opinion polls released over the past two weeks — from Fox News, Quinnipiac University, Fairleigh Dickinson University and Rutgers-Eagleton — indicated Ciattarelli tightening the margins with Sherrill in the race to succeed the term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. Other public and internal surveys suggest a margin of error contest.
BATTLE FOR GOVERNOR IN THIS CLOSELY WATCHED RACE MAY BE HEADED FOR A PHOTO FINISH
«As you know, many of these polls have a dead heat. And that’s in a state in which Republicans typically under poll because we are the minority party,» Ciattarelli said. «And when you have the endorsement of Democratic mayors across the state, it says people want change. That’s exactly what we’re going to deliver when we win this race.»
Ciattarelli, who has crisscrossed the campaign trail in the Garden State this summer and autumn, has drawn energetic crowds at his stops during the closing stretch of the campaign. And with early voting about to get underway, he’s urging his supporters to cast their ballots.
Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee for governor in New Jersey, speaks to supporters at a diner in Saddle Brook, N.J. on Oct. 15, 2025 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
«Early voting starts this Saturday. We turn out, we win. Let’s finish strong,» he urged.
FIVE KEY RACES TO WATCH WITH TWO WEEKS UNTIL ELECTION DAY
President Donald Trump will hold a tele-rally with Ciattarelli ahead of Election Day. And also helping him make sure low propensity Trump supporters vote during an off-election year when the president isn’t on the ballot have been some top MAGA stars, including Ohio gubernatorial candidate and former White House contender Vivek Ramaswamy and Rep. Byron Donalds, the top candidate for Florida governor next year.
«Jack’s been running a great campaign. I’ve been watching it from down in the Sunshine State. But it’s about winning. We got to help everybody get across the line,» Donalds told Fox News.
New Jersey Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli, left, is joined by GOP Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida at a diner in Linden, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News )
Former Rahway, N.J. GOP chair Patrick Cassio, who was at the Ciattarelli-Donalds diner stop in Linden, told Fox News that «a lot of Trump voters do not vote for anybody else, so getting guys out that they like will get them out to vote.»
And he noted that «four years ago, 400,000 Republicans didn’t vote. So, think about that. He [Ciattarelli] picks up half of that, he wins. The math is pretty simple.»
HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS
Ciattarelli, who’s making his third straight run for Garden State governor, and who nearly upset Murphy four years ago, says things are different this time around.
«Because of the closeness of that race in ’21, people are paying closer attention this time around,» Ciattarelli said.
Rep. Mikell Sherrill of New Jersey, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, speaks at a news conference on Oct. 13, 2025 in Clifton, N.J. (Mikie Sherrill campaign)
But Sherrill criticized her Republican rival as a «kind of a perennial candidate.»
THE POLITICAL BOMB TRUMP EXPLODED IN THE NEW JERSEY SHOWDOWN FOR GOVERNOR
Sherrill, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who flew helicopters during her military service and who was first elected to Congress in 2018, is also enjoying plenty of company on the campaign trail. Last weekend she was joined by Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Wes Moore of Maryland — who are considered potential 2028 White House contenders. And former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, two more potential presidential candidates, are on deck.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie of New Jersey, left, teams up on the campaign trail with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, in Newark, N.J. on Oct. 19, 2025. (Mikie Sherrill campaign )
And Sherrill’s campaign announced this week that the most popular Democrat in the country — former President Barack Obama — will headline a rally with her in Newark on Nov. 1, the final weekend before Election Day.
While Sherrill has faced criticism by Republicans and some political pundits for a lack of energy on the campaign trail, she pointed to her get-out-the-vote operation.
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«We’re seeing great returns on the vote by mails. We’ll start early voting the 25th, which we’re really excited about. We’re seeing a ton of energy on the ground,» she told Fox News.
And Sherrill touted that her campaign has «the biggest volunteer field program that anyone in New Jersey has ever run… We are getting the right doors, and I’m really excited about what we’re gonna see.»
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Cinco hembras de bonobo atacaron a un macho adulto, identificado como Hugo, en el parque nacional de Salonga, en la República Democrática del Congo. La agresión fue observada sin que ningún congénere interviniera.
El ataque, registrado por integrantes del Proyecto Bonobo Luikotale, se extendió durante 25 minutos. Este incidente desató debates en la comunidad científica por la intensidad y organización del linchamiento.
Los científicos que documentaron el hecho informaron que Hugo intentó protegerse en el suelo, mientras las hembras lo golpearon, mordieron y le causaron múltiples lesiones graves. La agresión comenzó con una explosión de vocalizaciones que alertó al equipo de observadores.
Según precisó la investigación publicada en la revista Current Biology, al llegar, encontraron a Hugo tendido boca abajo, rodeado por Polly, Tao, Ngola, Djulie y Bella, las cinco hembras adultas que lo atacaron de forma alternada.
Los especialistas detallaron que las agresoras lo pisotearon, mordieron la cabeza, el cuello, las extremidades y le provocaron heridas profundas en el rostro, los labios y las cejas.
Al final de la paliza, Hugo perdió gran parte de su pelo en la cabeza, los hombros y la espalda. Sufrió también la pérdida de falanges en los pies y daños severos en las manos, los genitales y el cuello.
Según los investigadores, el resto de los bonobos del grupo observó el episodio en silencio y a distancia. Nadie intentó ayudar o mediar, lo que resultó inquietante para los primatólogos especializados en la especie.
En los días previos, se registró que Hugo había ejercido un comportamiento agresivo hacia la cría de Bella, la más joven de las hembras participantes. Este antecedente motivó interrogantes sobre un posible motivo de defensa colectiva por parte de las hembras.
De acuerdo a National Geographic, el bonobo, conocido como Pan paniscus, es una de las especies más cercanas al ser humano. Suelen habitar zonas remotas y selváticas del Congo, lo que dificulta estudios extensivos y directos sobre su comportamiento.
Hasta hace algunos años, se les consideraba primates excepcionalmente pacíficos, propensos a resolver conflictos a través de interacciones sociales y prácticas sexuales, más que mediante agresiones.
La evidencia tradicional mostraba que el sexo entre bonobos cumplía funciones sociales: alivio de tensiones, bienvenida de miembros nuevos o fortalecimiento de vínculos, reduciendo así la violencia directa.
Estudios previos, como los realizados por el primatólogo Frans de Wall, documentaban que los bonobos, a diferencia de los chimpancés, practicaban la reconciliación tras una disputa en vez de formar coaliciones violentas o participar en guerras entre grupos.
Sin embargo, investigaciones más recientes describieron casos en los que los bonobos exhiben conductas agresivas, incluso superiores en frecuencia a los chimpancés, especialmente cuando se trata de machos.
La comunidad científica señala que el liderazgo social dentro de los grupos de bonobos lo ocupan principalmente las hembras. Ellas desarrollan relaciones complejas, donde el fortalecimiento de alianzas influye en la estabilidad del grupo.
El reciente estudio, basado en observaciones sistemáticas y prolongadas, estima que hasta el 85% de las coaliciones violentas orientadas al dominio de los machos son protagonizadas por las hembras.
Los recursos compartidos y la protección de las crías juegan un papel central en la estructura social y en la toma de decisiones para emplear la violencia como mecanismo de control o sanción. La razón por la que las hembras de bonobo, habitualmente asociadas a vínculos sociales, deciden emplear la agresión sigue en estudio.
Los autores del artículo en Current Biology sostienen que la consolidación del estatus dominante y el fortalecimiento de los lazos pueden traer ventajas inmediatas, como la defensa de recursos, y de largo plazo, como la prevención del infanticidio.
El infanticidio, frecuente entre otras especies, suele beneficiar a los machos, ya que incrementa su éxito reproductivo. Sin embargo, en el caso de los bonobos, las hembras recurren a la violencia para proteger a sus crías y sostener la cohesión del grupo.
Durante el ataque, Hugo se mantuvo pasivo y no intentó huir. Las lesiones sufridas incluyeron cortes profundos, mutilaciones y pérdida de piel.
El informe señala que no se lo volvió a ver en los 150 días posteriores al evento, lo que sugiere que probablemente falleció por las heridas.
Este caso desafía el retrato tradicional de los bonobos como una especie eminentemente pacífica. Aunque la evidencia científica refuerza que la resolución de conflictos mediante la sexualidad mantiene su lugar central en la vida social de la especie, aumenta el número de estudios que describen el uso de la violencia por parte de hembras para mantener el equilibrio interno del grupo.
La agresión de cinco hembras de bonobo a un macho adulto bajo la mirada impasible del grupo, sin intervención de ningún individuo, revela una complejidad social más profunda de lo que se creía.
El hecho de que la violencia pueda surgir en sistemas regidos por redes sociales sólidas y estructuras matriarcales pone en foco la necesidad de continuar investigando los factores que influyen en el comportamiento social de nuestros parientes más cercanos.
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