(FILES) Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (R) smiles and chats with cabinet members before a plenary session of the House of Representatives at the Diet in Tokyo on January 23, 2026. Some have compared her to baseball star Ohtani, others praise her as a "commoner prime minister", Japan's Sanae Takaichi is generating buzz among Gen-Z in a country where politics has long been determined by the ageing vote. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with AFP story Japan-politics-diplomacy-vote-youth, FOCUS by Tomohiro Osaki