Deep Purple Meet Their Biggest Fan: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi

Being the prime minster of Japan has its perks: Sanae Takaichi got to meet her all-time favorite band, Deep Purple.

The recently-elected PM hosted the iconic English rock band in Tokyo on Friday (per the BBC). During the event, Takaichi (a lifelong drummer herself) presented Deep Purple’s Ian Paice with signed Japanese-made drumsticks ahead of the band’s Saturday appearance at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan arena.

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“You are my god,” Takaichi said through an interpreter. “I can’t believe Deep Purple are here. I have the deepest respect for the way you continue to make rock history while embracing new challenges and creating captivating music to this day.”

During her schools days, Takaichi was even the keyboardist in a Deep Purple cover band before eventually switching to the drums. (Apparently, Japan’s first female prime minster is such an intense drummer that she would “carry several sets of drumsticks due to a tendency to break them during intense performances.”) Takaichi even bought 1972’s Machine Head while in grade school, and maintains a deeply personal relationship with Deep Purple to this very day.

Said Takaichi, “These days, when I fight with my husband I drum to ‘Burn’ and cast a curse on him.”

After the event, Deep Purple took to their Instagram to commemorate what had to be a wonderfully absurd moment, writing, “A lifelong fan of hard rock and heavy metal, Takaichi has often named Deep Purple as one of her favorite bands.”

The band’s stop in Tokyo is part of their larger touring schedule across 2026. Deep Purple will return to the US starting August 4th (in Raleigh) for a month-long jaunt. Check out their schedule below, and grab your tickets now via Ticketmaster.

Deep Purple 2026 Tour Dates:
08/04 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater *
08/08 – Clearwater, FL @ The Daycare Sound ^
08/09 – Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Casino ^
08/12 – Wantagh, NY @ Jones Beach Theater ^
08/13 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center *
08/15 – Halifax, NS @ Scotiabank Centre *
08/17 – Laval, QC @ Bell Place *
08/18 – Toronto, ON @ RBC Amphitheatre *
08/19 – Ottawa, ON @ Canadian Tire Centre *
08/21 – Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob ^
08/22 – Salamanca, NY @ Seneca Allegany Casino ^
08/24 – Indianapolis, IN @ Everwise Amphitheatre ^
08/25 – Highland Park, IL @ Ravinia ^
08/27 – Prior Lake, MN @ Mystic Lake Casino ^
08/29 – Winnipeg, MB @ Canada Life Centre *
08/31 – Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome *
09/02 – Abbotsford, BC @ Abbotsford Centre *
09/04 – Lincoln, CA @ Thunder Valley *
09/05 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre *
09/06 – Highland, CA @ Yaamava Theatre ^
09/08 – Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amp *
09/10 – Las Vegas, NV @ Planet Hollywood ^
09/11 – Long Beach, CA @ Long Beach Amphitheater ^
09/12 – Sparks, NV @ Nugget Event Center ^

^ = w/ Kansas
* = with Kansas and Jefferson Starship