Sanae Takaichi's rise from a struggling intern to Japan's prime minister began in 1988 when she arrived in Washington at age 26 to work for Rep. Patricia Schroeder. The young Japanese politician had fought with her parents and broken up with her boyfriend to pursue her dream of working for the trailblazing Colorado Democrat.

Takaichi's early days in Washington were marked by hardship. She slept on flattened cardboard boxes and struggled on a $1,200 monthly stipend from a Japanese research institute. Some colleagues treated her as a potential spy from Japan, then America's chief economic rival. But she persevered, staying in the office from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. some days, answering phones, writing constituent letters, and helping draft legislation.

Her nine-month stint transformed her political outlook. She marveled at American democracy's grassroots nature and was inspired by Schroeder's advice to be authentic rather than pandering. The experience shaped her political career, leading to her 1993 election to Japan's Parliament and eventual rise as the first woman elected prime minister. Now she returns to Washington to meet President Trump, bringing decades of experience gained from that formative Washington internship.