Nagatacho, Tokyo, the prime minister's official residence, 8:20 a.m. Every day at the same time, Sanae Takaichi, 64, the prime minister of Japan, enters the residence lobby for a media briefing carrying a crisply shaped black leather bag instead of a thick stack of documents. It is a clearly different commute from past Japanese prime ministers, who would hand their belongings to male aides or security guards and walk in empty-handed.
The bag Takaichi carries is not a famous product like the Hermès Birkin or Chanel quilted bag. It is a domestic brand product, Hamano Leather Crafts, founded in 1880 and known for supplying leather goods to the Japanese imperial household.
Prime Minister Takaichi is the eye of the storm shaking Japan's consumer market. On social media (SNS), posts certifying purchases are piling up, calling this bag the Sanae Tote. The product's official name is the Grace Delight Tote, and it is priced at 136,400 yen (about 1.27 million won).
The New York Times (NYT) on the 18th local time pointed to the domestically made bag she personally carries as the secret behind Prime Minister Takaichi's still-solid approval ratings, even as layers of headwinds pile up, including rising tensions with China over the Taiwan Strait and inflation driven by a weak yen. The analysis is that the political aim of "a stronger Japan" that she puts forward has been visually imprinted on the public every morning. As of Nov., Takaichi's approval rating stood at 82% according to Tokyo Broadcasting's tally. Generally, a political leader's approval rating above 50% is considered "high." Above 60% is very high by global standards.
Manufacturer Hamano Leather Crafts is a 145-year-old company that entered the leather industry based on its craftsmanship originally used to make scabbards for samurai swords. With a factory in Miyota-machi near Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture, the company had already proven its quality by presenting a bag to Diana, Princess of Wales, in the 1980s. The Hamano official website currently carries an urgent notice saying, "Orders are flooding in and we are running production lines at full capacity." Even if you order now, you will not receive the product until the end of Aug. next year.
The bag is popular among young female consumers in their 20s and 30s, especially professional women. Japanese media said the reason aligns with "practical patriotism." Despite having enough storage space to easily hold A4-size documents, the Sanae Tote weighs only 700 grams, about the weight of a bottle of beverage. Nakano Kaori, a visiting professor at Aoyama Gakuin University, said in an interview with the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, "If consumption of high-end brand products in the past was for show, the prime minister's bag has a strong image as a 'tool used by working women,'" adding, "The sight of the prime minister carrying a laptop and documents herself projects a sense of 'I am professional' onto women at the managerial level."
Political circles and fashion experts interpret the act of Prime Minister Takaichi carrying her bag herself as high-level "image politics." Typically, heads of state, especially male leaders who cast themselves as "strongmen," do not carry bags. Even among female leaders such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, it has been rare to see handbags at official events. That is because in Western politics the act of carrying a bag is widely perceived as implying a position of having to serve others.
Prime Minister Takaichi twisted that playbook. Vanessa Friedman, NYT fashion director, said, "Men in power flaunt authority by not carrying their briefcases themselves, but Takaichi changed that calculus." The reading is that the sight of carrying her own load signals a determination to handle the nuts and bolts directly, rather than a sense of privilege that "there is someone to carry your things." Takaichi has in fact repeatedly said, "There is no work-life balance for myself. The entire Cabinet must work, work, and work again." At a recent Diet Budget Committee session, she said directly, "These days I generally sleep as little as 2 hours to as much as 4 hours a day." Experts said the bag she carries herself serves as a device that visually reinforces this philosophy.
Prime Minister Takaichi has emphasized since before her designation that she respects the United Kingdom's "Iron Lady," former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The dark blue suit and pearl necklace she wore when she won the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election were directly borrowed from styles Thatcher often chose. The BBC called Takaichi "Japan's Iron Lady." In British political circles, situations in which Thatcher overwhelmed or sternly rebuked ministers with logic were described as "handbagging." The Hamano bag Takaichi carries is also a kind of gear symbolizing a hard-line stance.
However, Prime Minister Takaichi has emphasized differences from Thatcher in the details. Professor Nakano said, "If former Prime Minister Thatcher used flamboyant brooches as a symbol to project authority, Prime Minister Takaichi often tucks into her jacket a pocket square (handkerchief) that men typically wear with suits." She continued, "A pocket square underscores mutual trust and fellowship within the male-centered Liberal Democratic Party without overly emphasizing femininity." The "Sanae cut," with hair tucked behind the ears, likewise carries the message "I will listen to others," according to the prime minister's exclusive hairdresser, Arai Yukitoshi.
Prime Minister Takaichi's image of "a stronger Japan" also appeared in her meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. After the U.S.-Japan summit in Tokyo, President Trump praised her, saying, "Prime Minister Takaichi had a very strong handshake," and "She is a wise and respected figure." This is not mere polite words. Major foreign media including Reuters assessed, "The hard-line image Takaichi pursues is rallying the conservative base within the Liberal Democratic Party and serving as a bulwark preventing votes from drifting to right-wing populist party 'Sankei-to.'"
The trend of emulating or supporting Prime Minister Takaichi's fashion, centered on younger and female demographics, is expected to continue for the time being. Experts added that, in particular, the frugal and practical image of using a 130,000-yen domestic bag is functioning as a mechanism that lowers public resistance to negative issues at home and abroad. The Straits Times, citing experts, said, "Prime Minister Takaichi has an unexpected side that enjoys heavy metal music and motorcycles," adding, "This multifaceted appeal has felt fresh to younger generations disillusioned with establishment politics."