A woman leads Japan, yet she’s still forbidden from entering sumo’s sacred ring
Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, leads the nation yet remains barred from entering sumo’s sacred ring, prompting debate over the taboo against women in the dohyo. The rule is inconsistently applied, even as modern Japan questions its values, and Takaichi’s conservative stance complicates whether her historic leadership will challenge or uphold a tradition that has kept women outside the sport’s most sacred space.
Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, leads the nation yet remains barred from entering sumo’s sacred ring, prompting debate over the taboo against women in the dohyo. The rule is inconsistently applied, even as modern Japan questions its values, and Takaichi’s conservative stance complicates whether her historic leadership will challenge or uphold a tradition that has kept women outside the sport’s most sacred space.
