The Reading / Listening - Sanae Takaichi - Level 1

Japan has its first female prime minister. Sanae Takaichi, 64, is the country's 104th prime minister. She won 237 votes in Japan's parliament. She takes over from former leader Shigeru Ishiba. He was in power for a year. Takaichi made a deal with a right-wing party to win. However, she has a difficult job. Japanese people are unhappy about food prices, job security, and a falling birth rate. They are also worried about the growing number of old people.

Sanae Takaichi has had an interesting life. She played drums in a rock band. She supports the Gamba Osaka soccer team and the Hanshin Tigers baseball team. She also had a powerful motorbike. In 1987, she moved to the USA and wrote books about politics. In 1989, she worked as a TV anchor. Women hope Takaichi will support gender equality and diversity. However, she does not support same-sex marriage.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Sanae Takaichi - Level 0 Sanae Takaichi - Level 2   or  Sanae Takaichi - Level 3

Sources
  • https://apnews.com/article/japan-first-female-prime-minister-vote-trump-24b4a5e2a2b777139de66e38665ced0d
  • https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20251021/p2g/00m/0na/030000c
  • https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/16104830
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanae_Takaichi


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. the country's 104th
  2. He was in power
  3. made a deal with a right-
  4. people are unhappy
  5. job
  6. a falling birth
  7. They are also
  8. the growing number
  1. rate
  2. wing party
  3. of old people
  4. for a year
  5. about food prices
  6. worried
  7. security
  8. prime minister

Paragraph 2

  1. Takaichi has had an interesting
  2. She played
  3. in a rock
  4. She also had a powerful
  5. wrote books
  6. she worked as
  7. gender equality
  8. same-
  1. band
  2. a TV anchor
  3. sex marriage
  4. about politics
  5. and diversity
  6. drums
  7. life
  8. motorbike

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Japan (1) _________________________________________________ female prime minister. Sanae Takaichi, 64, (2) _________________________________________________ 104th prime minister. She won 237 votes in Japan's parliament. She takes (3) _________________________________________________ leader Shigeru Ishiba. He was in power for a year. Takaichi made a (4) _________________________________________________ right-wing party to win. However, she has a difficult job. Japanese people (5) _________________________________________________ food prices, job security, and a falling birth rate. They are also worried about the (6) _________________________________________________ old people.

Sanae Takaichi has (7) _________________________________________________ life. She played drums in a rock band. She supports the Gamba Osaka (8) _________________________________________________ the Hanshin Tigers baseball team. She also had a powerful motorbike. In 1987, (9) _________________________________________________ the USA and (10) _________________________________________________ politics. In 1989, she worked as a TV anchor. Women hope Takaichi (11) _________________________________________________ equality and diversity. However, she does not support (12) _________________________________________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Japanhasitsfirstfemaleprimeminister.SanaeTakaichi,64,isthecountr
y's104thprimeminister.Shewon237votesinJapan'sparliament.Shet
akesoverfromformerleaderShigeruIshiba.Hewasinpowerforayear.T
akaichimadeadealwitharight-wingpartytowin.However,shehasadif
ficultjob.Japanesepeopleareunhappyaboutfoodprices,jobsecurity,a
ndafallingbirthrate.Theyarealsoworriedaboutthegrowingnumberofo
ldpeople.SanaeTakaichihashadaninterestinglife.Sheplayeddrumsin
arockband.ShesupportstheGambaOsakasoccerteamandtheHanshinTi
gersbaseballteam.Shealsohadapowerfulmotorbike.In1987,shemove
dtotheUSAandwrotebooksaboutpolitics.In1989,sheworkedasaTVanc
hor.WomenhopeTakaichiwillsupportgenderequalityanddiversity.Howe
ver,shedoesnotsupportsame-sexmarriage.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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