A former fellow Liberal Democratic Party member in the House of Representatives, Yamamoto said he was initially “drawn to the contrast” between Takaichi’s tough exterior and her femininity.

The couple, who married in 2004, divorced in 2017 over political differences but later remarried. They now live together in a housing complex for Diet members in Tokyo’s Akasaka district.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Yamamoto described his wife as “a person who studies harder than anyone”, with her room full of documents and books.

Both were members of a faction then led by former prime minister Yoshiro Mori when they first married. They began a serious relationship after Takaichi lost her seat in the 2003 lower house election and Yamamoto hired her younger brother as his secretary.