Anticipation is building among sumo fans in Japan as they wait to discover if the country’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, will defy centuries of tradition and step into the sumo ring to present a trophy later this month.

With 11 days of the current 15-day tournament in Fukuoka, south-west Japan, remaining, government officials have left the sport’s devotees guessing with vague comments over the likelihood of clash between Takaichi and the Japan sumo association.

Women are banned from entering, or even touching, the “sacred” dohyo, or arena, due to a belief found in Shinto, Japan’s indigenous religion, that they are “impure” because of menstrual blood.