'Stealth husband' of Japan's new PM vows quiet support

The spouse of Japan’s first woman Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hopes to support her by being a “stealth husband”, cooking meals but staying out of the spotlight.

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“Unlike in the West, it is better for a partner to stay out of the spotlight,” Fukui Television quoted Taku Yamamoto, 73, as saying on Tuesday after Takaichi became premier.

He said it was essential that Takaichi, who won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership this month, can “pursue her vision of Prime Minister.”

“I want to provide solid support as ‘a stealth husband’ to ensure that my presence does not become an obstacle to that,” he added, according to the Asahi newspaper, Fuji Television and other media.

Yamamoto, a former LDP lawmaker, married Takaichi in 2004, but the couple divorced in 2017 citing “differences in political views”.