Two women are among the four contenders competing to become Japan's next prime minister, which appears to be a significant step forward in Japan's traditionally sexist politics.

Their fate, however, is in the hands of a conservative, primarily male ruling party, whose primary female candidate has been chastised for her right-wing gender views.

Sanae Takaichi and Seiko Noda are the first women to run for Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 13 years.

Because the LDP and its coalition partner hold a parliamentary majority, the winner will almost certainly become the next Prime Minister.

Even though they are both members of the LDP, they are politically opposed in many aspects. Takaichi, an ultra-conservative, promotes paternalistic nationalism and a more significant military, whereas Noda, a liberal-leaning pacifist, argues for women's advancement and sexual diversity.

Mayumi Taniguchi, an expert on women's roles in society and politics at the Osaka University of Arts, said, "As tiny minorities in Japanese politics, women have limited choices to survive and succeed; they can confront the boys' club politics or they can be loyal to them."

Takaichi looks to have chosen allegiance, whereas Noda appears to work outside the mainstream but not in a combative manner, according to Taniguchi. "They are diametrically opposed."

The women are fighting between vaccinations minister Taro Kono and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida to succeed departing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Both Kono and Kishida come from well-known political dynasties and belong to prominent party factions, making them the front-runners.

Takaichi, on the other hand, is seen as a rising candidate, with the critical support of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose arch-conservative agenda she shares. According to the most recent media polls of party lawmakers, she is starting to gain support from party conservatives, while Noda remains fourth.

Yuriko Koike, who is presently the governor of Tokyo, was the only female candidate running in 2008.

While it's improbable that either Takaichi or Noda would become prime minister, the ruling party's decision to field two women for the position is a step forward. Takaichi's gender policies, on the other hand, have been criticized by certain specialists.

According to Mari Miura, a political science professor at Sophia University, if she wins, she will most likely not favor women's advancements. "She will highlight her success in shattering the glass ceiling and declare that Japan is already a gender-equal country, even ahead of the US."

In a 156-nation gender gap ranking survey conducted by the World Economic Forum 2021, Japan came last among the Group of Seven advanced economies, placing 120th.

According to observers, women make up about 10% of Japan's parliament, and many choose to progress by demonstrating party loyalty rather than pursuing gender equality.

Takaichi has backed women's health and fertility issues, in line with the LDP's policy of promoting women in their traditional roles as good mothers and wives. Still, she is unlikely to support women's rights or sexual variety, according to Miura.

Takaichi, 60, was first elected to parliament in 1993, and Margaret Thatcher is her role model. She has held significant positions in the Democratic Party and the government, including ministers of internal affairs and gender equality.

She favors the imperial family's male-only succession and opposes same-sex marriage and modifications to 19th-century civil law that would let women keep their maiden names. She is a drummer in a heavy metal band and a motorbike rider as a student.

According to Taniguchi, Takaichi's party majority support is "unfortunate," since "her success could lead many women to believe that speaking and acting on behalf of men is the way to be successful in this country."

Takaichi, who shares Abe's revisionist views on Japan's wartime atrocities, visits the Yasukuni shrine regularly, which honors war criminals among the war dead and is seen as proof of Japan's lack of sorrow by China and the Koreas.

Her security policies include the development of a preemptive strike capacity to confront Chinese and North Korean threats.

Political observers believe Abe's support for Takaichi was motivated in part by a desire to rehabilitate the party's sexist image, as well as a desire to siphon votes away from Kono, the current front-runner and a maverick.

Abe had advocated for women's progression, but his party made little headway, failing to reach a 2020 objective of having women hold 30% of decision-making posts, delaying the aim by as much as a decade.

According to Miura, the professor, having a leader like Takaichi, who prioritizes allegiance to men over pushing for other women's success, might sabotage efforts to eliminate gender inequalities.

While Noda would want to see more equality and diversity, conservatives are likely to resist her gender-equal agenda.

Noda, 61, is an outspoken supporter of same-sex marriage and has advocated for a quota system to boost female legislators. If she wins, she has promised to select women to 50% of her Cabinet.

After fertility treatment, Noda gave birth to her first impaired child at the age of 50.

In a recent campaign address, she stated that Japan's fast-dwindling population poses a severe national security threat since the country will not have enough military or police in the following decades.

"I want to create a society that values diversity by putting people who haven't been given prominent roles in society, such as children, women, the disabled, and LGBTQ people, front and center," Noda added.