THIS is the moment the newly elected Japanese prime minister played the drums in a surprise performance, before announcing snap election.
A video of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, 64, taking to the drums with her South Korean counterpart President Lee Jae Myung shows the pair playing along to K-Pop hits including BTS’ Dynamite and Kpop Demon Hunters’ Golden.
In footage of the jam session, both leaders donned personalised blue athletic jackets while smiling and giggling throughout the performance.
Takaichi complimented the South Korean leader, saying Lee was a fast learner, commenting that he had managed to learn to play the instrument in just a few minutes.
The Japanese leader is a huge heavy metal fan and was a keen drummer through her college days.
The video was posted by Takaichi’s office on Wednesday, following Tuesday’s summit in the ancient Japanese capital Nara.
Of the performance Lee said: “Playing the drums has been my longtime dream”.
In the statement posted to social media platform X, he thanked Takaichi for arranging the session.
“Like we respected our differences and harmonized our rhythms, I hope that Korea and Japan would deepen cooperation and move closer to each other step by step,” he said.
The performance was used as a symbolic cultural exchange, demonstrating the deepening cooperation between the two nations.
Takaichi responded with her own statement to the platform, sharing a similar message.
“In order to develop Japan-South Korea relations in a forward-looking way and stably, we will continue our close communication between the two governments including by proactively carrying out our shuttle diplomacy,” she said.
Takaichi followed up the performance by announcing a snap election.
Following the bilateral summit with South Korea, on Wednesday she moved to dissolve parliament and called for fresh election.
Japanese voters could be taking to the polls as early as February 8.
The shock declaration comes less than three months after she took power, in a move that could see her capitalise off her growing popularity.
Her rule only holds a slim majority in the Japanese parliament’s lower house, potentially inhibiting her personally ambitious policy agenda.
She is expected to hold a press conference with more information on the decision in the next week.
In October, she became the first female prime minister to take office in Japan.
The conservative hardliner said she was inspired by Margaret Thatcher, securing leadership when her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) agreed to join forces with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party (JIP).
Takaichi won 237 votes compared to the 149 won by Yoshikoko Noda – the head of the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan – in the lower house of parliament.
Takaichi’s reign marked a sharp turn to the right for the country.
Her coalition with JIP pointed to a move towards higher defence spending in Japan.
Takaichi previously spoke about the reform of Japan’s “pacifist” postwar constitution in the past as well as the introduction of tougher restrictions on immigration.
She was even labelled as an ultraconservative in the past by those who have followed her political rise.
