Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni, left, and Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi
TOKYO: They called one other affectionately by their first names: Giorgia and Sanae. They laughed and smiled as they posed for portraits. They spoke about the bond they felt as women who had shattered the glass ceiling.PMs Giorgia Meloni of Italy and Sanae Takaichi of Japan met in Tokyo on Friday for their first extended talks since Takaichi’s election last fall. They discussed defence, trade and culture, and vowed to bring the relationship between their two countries to new heights. But the meeting was most striking for its imagery: two conservative women at the pinnacle of power, who both beat the odds to become leaders of deeply patriarchal societies. As the only two women among the leaders of Group of 7 major industrialised nations – and as heads of conservative-leaning parties – they are now some of the most influential chief executives in the world. Meloni said Friday her relationship with Takaichi was “quickly poised to become a solid friendship, even a personal one, clearly always in the mutual interest of our nations.” “With Sanae, we also share the fact of being the first two women to lead their peoples, and this clearly represents a great honour for us,” she said. “But above all, it represents a great responsibility. A responsibility that I think we can shoulder.”Takaichi, who took office in Oct, and Meloni, who rose to power in 2022, found an easy chemistry. Takaichi, 64, offered a toast for Meloni’s 49th birthday, which fell on Thursday. She presented Meloni with a basket of gifts, including a pair of earrings and “Hello Kitty” souvenirs for Meloni’s daughter. Takaichi and her staff sang “Happy Birthday” in Italian to Meloni and gave her a birthday cake. “I’d like to celebrate Giorgia’s birthday together with Japanese people,” Takaichi said at a joint news conference. “Congratulations!”Meloni posted an anime-style selfie on the social platform X, saying she felt a sense of “friendship and rapport” with Takaichi.Meloni and Takaichi first got to know each other last Nov, at a meeting of the world’s 20 largest economies in South Africa. A video of the encounter, in which Takaichi threw open her arms and said “Meloni,” was widely circulated in Japan.They’ve a lot in common. Neither comes from a long line of politicians, and they had modest childhoods. Meloni was raised by a single mom in a working-class family in Rome. Takaichi’s mother worked for the local police department, and her father worked for a car parts maker. Despite their similar paths to breaking the glass ceiling, neither Meloni nor Takaichi is pushing policies aimed at empowering women.
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