The Financial Times reported that Japanese politician Sanae Takaichi, a hardline conservative, is seeking to lead the Liberal Democratic Party, potentially becoming the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Japan.

Takaichi sees herself as the heir to the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and advocates a return to Abe’s “Abenomics” economic policies, which include lowering interest rates and increasing government spending, according to the newspaper.

Takaichi, who began her career as a TV announcer and played heavy metal music in her youth, has expressed since the age of 24 her desire to become the “Iron Lady,” inspired by the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Although her main rival Shinzō Koizumi enjoys strong support among lawmakers, the party’s grassroots slightly favor Takaichi, the paper says, amid an identity crisis following the party’s loss of parliamentary majority and growing youth support for populist parties.

Despite her previous hardline stances, such as threatening to revoke media licenses in 2016 and opposing same-sex marriage and changes to imperial succession laws, she has recently softened her tone and shown willingness to increase female representation in government, the newspaper notes.

Analysts believe the growing support for Takaichi may not be due to her policies but rather a desire for change amid a severe economic and geopolitical crisis. The choice between Koizumi and Takaichi represents a crossroads for the party: either a return to Abe’s conservative approach or a search for a new face and a more moderate direction.

The paper notes that Takaichi has held several key government positions since entering politics 32 years ago, including Minister of Economic Security, head of cybersecurity policy, and overseer of the “Quiet Japan” soft power strategy in the early 21st century.

Political scientist Miko Nakabayashi of Waseda University said Takaichi’s popularity reflects despair over political change in an era of rising prices and deep geopolitical insecurity. She added, “People don’t know her true self, but they find her interesting because she is a woman. It’s similar to when the US elected Barack Obama president. But this desire for something new also signals a crisis.”