Handbags and hashtags

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Recommended by Kate Turton, Newsletter Editor

Japan's Takaichi rides youth-led craze into election

Takaichi carries Japanese leather goods maker Hamano's tote bag as she arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, Japan, January 23, 2026. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

The handbag she carries is sold out, her pink pen has gone viral and even her favourite snacks are in hot demand: Japan's 64-year-old leader Sanae Takaichi has sparked an unlikely youth-led craze that could propel her to a big election win.

Polls suggest 'sanakatsu', roughly translated as 'sanamania', can help give Japan's first female prime minister a decisive mandate in Sunday's general election.

Takaichi has built a social media following that dwarfs those of her rivals: Her viral posts stand out in Japan's usually staid politics, such as clips of her drumming to the hit song Golden from Netflix's K-Pop Demon Hunters with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, or serenading Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with 'Happy Birthday' in Italian.

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