PROFILE: Veteran woman lawmaker Sanae Takaichi known as staunch conservative

Former internal affairs minister Sanae Takaichi, known as a staunch conservative with outspoken views on national security, is seeking to become Japan's first female prime minister.The eighth-term lower house member has faced criticism in the past from China and South Korea for her frequent visits to Yasukuni shrine, a war-linked Shinto shrine in Tokyo seen by the neighboring countries as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.Takaichi, 60, has vowed to continue former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's signature "Abenomics" program, which relies on aggressive monetary easing and fiscal stimulus, wit…READ FULL ARTICLE