Sanae Takaichi isn’t just Japan’s first female prime minister—she’s a gearhead with style. While most politicians settle for boring official rides, Takaichi’s heart has always belonged to a pearl-white 1991 Toyota Supra 2.5GT, a beast of a machine that’s as much a part of her legacy as her conservative politics.
That Supra wasn’t just another car. With its twin-turbocharged 1JZ-GTE engine cranking out 276 horsepower (back when that actually meant something), it was Japanese engineering at its finest. Burgundy leather seats? Classic. She wasn’t just posing, either; Takaichi logged serious miles in that thing, crisscrossing the country for campaigns before GPS was even a thing. (Yeah, she later slapped in a Panasonic nav system—because even icons need upgrades.)
Politics shifted her into chauffeured rides eventually, but she never ditched the Supra. It sat quietly in storage, waiting. Then came a twist: after an election loss, the local garage that had kept it running decided to surprise her. They fully restored it—museum quality—and stuck it next to a life-sized cutout of Takaichi herself. No joke.
Fast-forward to her historic win, and suddenly the town went wild. They decked out the Supra with “Congrats, PM!” banners, turning a slick ‘90s relic into a weirdly perfect monument to resilience. Because some leaders change nations, sure. But how many do it with a turbocharged inline-six soundtrack in the background?
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