Japan’s new Prime Minister still owns the Toyota Supra she drove for 20 years

Before she was Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi was a young politician with a fast car.

Takaichi didn’t trade up when she made it big, she just kept driving her Supra.

The same 1991 twin-turbo Toyota she bought in her 30s stayed with her for over two decades.

And now, as she takes the country’s top job, that very car’s sitting in a museum, polished, restored, and still hers.

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Japan’s new Prime Minister and her 1991 Toyota Supra

When Takaichi first entered Japan’s parliament in the early ’90s, she wasn’t turning up in a limousine. 

She was showing up in a Super White Pearl Toyota Supra 2.5GT Twin Turbo Limited – a car better known for tearing up expressways than chauffeuring politicians.

It had burgundy leather seats, a 1JZ-GTE twin-turbo straight-six under the hood, and 276 horsepower of pure ‘90s engineering. 

It was a bold sports car in a world of sedans and chauffeurs.

She drove it for more than 20 years, from campaign stops to Tokyo commutes.

Until her role demanded she hand over the keys. But she never sold it. 

The Supra stayed in storage in her hometown of Nara, quietly waiting while she rose through the ranks of Japan’s ruling party.

Then last year a team at Nara Toyota – the same dealership she bought it from in 1991 – brought it back to life. 

10 volunteer technicians rebuilt and repainted every inch, keeping the original Panasonic nav unit and that signature burgundy interior intact.

Today, the car sits gleaming in Nara Toyota’s small museum, right beside a cutout of Japan’s first female Prime Minister.

The Iron Lady who never gave up on her turbocharged time capsule.

Not everyone in power keeps it this humble

Takaichi’s loyalty to her Supra is practically an act of rebellion compared to how most world leaders move around. 

While her 1991 Toyota sits in a local museum, others surround themselves with motorcades, bodyguards, and multimillion-dollar toys.

Take the Sultan of Brunei – his collection stretches to 2,391 cars, including multiple McLaren F1s, one-off Bentleys, and Ferraris so rare even Ferrari didn’t know they existed.

Or the US President’s fleet, which includes Air Force One, Marine One, and ‘The Beast’ – a nine-tonne Cadillac limo fitted with its own missile countermeasures.

Next to that, Takaichi’s Supra feels refreshingly ordinary.

In a world where power usually comes wrapped in steel and excess, Japan’s new leader stands out for keeping her story parked in the same spot she started.

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