Is Sanae Takaichi the most powerful woman in the world?

Justin McCurry· Guest0:00

This is The Guardian.

Noor Haidar· Host0:01

[electronic music] Hi, it's Noor Haidar here. Japan's Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, will make her first official visit to Australia this weekend for talks focused on fuel security with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Her visit will come amid growing anti-war protests in Japan as young people push back against her government's plans to change the country's pacifist constitution. Today, we're bringing you an episode from The Guardian's international news podcast, Today in Focus, where Tokyo correspondent Justin McCurry unpacks Takaichi's push to revise the document written in the aftermath of World War II. Here's host Helen Pidd.

Helen Pidd· Host0:50

It wasn't the sort of scene you'd normally associate with Japanese diplomacy.

Speaker 3· Soundbite0:57

[singing] I'm a hit today. I'm a hit today. I'm a rebel. You know I got the power. Hey, light it up. Dynamite.

Helen Pidd· Host1:06

What we've just inflicted on you is the sound of two very rusty drummers trying, not entirely successfully, to keep time to BTS' Dynamite.

Speaker 3· Soundbite1:15

[singing] Dynamite. Oh. Oh-oh-oh. Oh. Oh-oh-oh.

Helen Pidd· Host1:20

[clapping] The one with marginally more rhythm is Sanae Takaichi, and she ought to be the better player, to be fair. She used to play in a heavy metal band and was notorious