Team Takaichi: A Breakdown of the New Cabinet
Introduction
After much drama and political maneuvering, Sanae Takaichi finally shattered the glass ceiling to become Japan’s first female prime minister. Facing numerous challenges at home and abroad, her cabinet appointments are of the utmost importance in helping her administration navigate ongoing and upcoming trials. These are her choices.
Core Cabinet
The former rivals trio
As candidates who ran against Takaichi for the leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party, their appointment signals an effort to maintain party unity. The remaining candidate, Takayuki Kobayashi, was appointed chair of the party’s Policy Research Council.
Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications
Yoshimasa Hayashi
Having held six ministerial portfolios in past administrations including key posts such as Foreign Affairs, Harvard-educated Hayashi is a veteran of cabinet-level positions. Most recently, he was Chief Cabinet Secretary under Takaichi’s predecessor Shigeru Ishiba. Viewed as a steady hand (as his nickname ‘Mr. 119’ denotes his problem-solving reputation), Hayashi is a moderate that takes a pragmatic approach to policy. The Ministry for Internal Affairs and Communications is a critical ministry, especially for files important to Takaichi, so expect to see him quite busy during Takaichi’s administration.
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Toshimitsu Motegi
A veteran of the Foreign Ministry, Harvard-educated Motegi returns to a portfolio he previously held under three prime ministers: Shinzo Abe, Yoshihide Suga and Fumio Kishida. He headed the delegation that negotiated the US-Japan Trade Agreement in 2019, which earned him Trump’s praise as a “tough negotiator”. Other past postings include Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry under Abe and Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party under Kishida. As foreign minister, Motegi is expected to continue championing the rules-based international order and the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy.
Minister of Defense
Shinjiro Koizumi
The appointment of political blueblood Koizumi as defense minister raised eyebrows due to his relative youth and inexperience in the area. His two past cabinet postings were as Minister of the Environment under Abe and Suga, and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries under Ishiba, the latter raising his profile as the self-styled “rice minister” due to his fight to bring down inflated rice prices. Columbia-educated Koizumi is a well-known face in Washington, something he can leverage as defense minister to pursue his aims of increasing defense spending and easing restrictions on military equipment exports.
Minister of Finance
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Satsuki Katayama
One of the two women in Takaichi’s cabinet, Katayama is the first woman to lead the powerful Finance Ministry, where she worked as a bureaucrat for 23 years before entering politics in 2005. While her financial credentials are obvious, her sole past cabinet posting was as Minister for Regional Revitalization and Gender Equality under Abe, so many were surprised at her landing the most coveted ministry. A proponent of revitalizing regional areas through finance, Katayama is expected to continue stressing the importance of regional financial institutions as social infrastructure, and possibly oversee needed consolidation in the industry.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
Ryosei Akazawa
A close ally of Ishiba, Cornell-educated Akazawa was Minister of Economic Revitalization under Takaichi’s predecessor. He gained notoriety for leading the negotiations with the Trump administration to secure a tariff deal earlier this year. His appointment allows Takaichi to smooth out continued dealings with the US by offering continuity. As head of METI, Akazawa is expected to oversee the implementation of the deal he secured under Ishiba, in particular Japan’s pledge to invest $550 billion in the US, still lacking in specifics despite attempts on both sides to further clarify concrete deliverables.
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Yasushi Kaneko
Having served as Deputy Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism under Yasuo Fukuda and Taro Aso, and also chairman of that committee in the Diet, Kaneko is experienced in the workings of his new portfolio. He has voiced concerns about overtourism, particularly the concentration of visitors in areas such as Kyoto. A proponent of regional revitalization through tourism, he has signaled intent to spread out travelers into rural areas by supporting local initiatives that balance the acceptance of tourists with efforts to ensure residents’ quality of life.
Minister of Justice
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Hiroshi Hiraguchi (cabinet first-timer)
A veteran of the field, Hiraguchi previously served as Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Justice and as Deputy Minister of Justice, both under Abe, which should ease his transition into the top job at the Justice Ministry. He has voiced support for maintaining the death penalty due to the “continuous incidence of heinous crimes”, so abolitionists should not expect any changes under his watch. The ministry also oversees immigration policy, and Hiraguchi has vowed to accept skilled foreign labor while strengthening measures against illegal migrants.
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Yohei Matsumoto (cabinet first-timer)
Known for his conservative views, Matsumoto served as Deputy Minister and Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the Cabinet Office under Abe, among other postings. His appointment has created some unease due to his support of a 2007 revisionist film that denies the Nanjing Massacre. The ministry he now heads requires school textbooks to include the government’s stance that the “killing of noncombatants, looting and other acts” took place. Asked about his views on the issue right after taking office, Matsumoto vowed to adhere to the government’s view.
Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare
Kenichiro Ueno (cabinet first-timer)
First elected in 2005, Ueno’s previous posts include Deputy Minister of Finance and Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism under Abe. Labor reform is expected to be one of his main tasks, after he revealed Takaichi instructed him to explore relaxing overtime work restrictions in order to ease the labor shortages affecting most companies, particularly small and medium enterprises. He will have to deal with expected opposition to the move from campaigners against death from overwork.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Norikazu Suzuki (cabinet first-timer)
The second-youngest member of the Takaichi Cabinet at 43, Suzuki previously held the Deputy Minister position of his current portfolio under Kishida and Ishiba. Shortly after taking office, Suzuki hinted at a reset of government policy regarding rice production. While Ishiba sought to increase production to bring down prices, Takaichi seems willing to listen to farmers’ fears of a future price collapse. Suzuki has voiced support for letting the market set prices, announcing he will dismantle the task force Shinjiro Koizumi created under Ishiba to oversee the release of the government’s rice stockpile.
Minister of the Environment
Hirotaka Ishihara (cabinet first-timer)
Son of the notorious former Tokyo governor and Director-General of the Environmental Agency (the precursor to the Ministry of the Environment), Ishihara served as Deputy Minister of the Environment under Abe and was also chairman of that committee in the Diet. He has voiced the need to weigh climate policies against their impact on living costs, signaling a pragmatic approach to environmentalism. As a long-time member of the LDP’s environment and climate policy committees, he has repeatedly called for a nationwide “carbon-neutral movement” to build public understanding and consumer participation in decarbonization.
Chief Cabinet Secretary
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Minoru Kihara
A former Minister of Defense under Kishida, Kihara is expected to act as linchpin to Takaichi’s defense policies. He has vowed to revise the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy and the Defense Build Up Program, key documents that Takaichi seeks to update to reflect Japan’s growing security challenges. As chief cabinet secretary, Kihara is expected to balance politicians, bureaucrats and the press while championing the prime minister as the government’s main spokesman.
Ancillary Cabinet
Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy
Minoru Kiuchi
A former diplomat fluent in German, Kiuchi has previously served in one cabinet post: Minister of State for Economic Security under Ishiba. A maverick who managed to win two lower house elections as an independent candidate, he left the LDP in 2005 over his opposition to the privatization of the postal service, but eventually rejoined in 2012. He has voiced a desire for continuing the policies of past administrations including wage and disposable income growth while sharing Takaichi’s dovish stance on monetary and fiscal policy.
Minister for Digital Transformation
Hisashi Matsumoto (cabinet first-timer)
A relative political neophyte, Matsumoto was elected to the Diet in 2021 after a career in medicine, including working on a medical helicopter. He previously served as Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Defense under Kishida and Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs under Ishiba. He cited his experience on emergency medical care during disasters as something he can leverage to ensure the benefits of digitalization reach everyone. With cyberattacks on the rise, Matsumoto said strengthening cybersecurity measures is one of the priorities of the Digital Agency under his watch.
Minister for Reconstruction
Takao Makino (cabinet first-timer)
Having previously served as Deputy Minister of Reconstruction under Abe, Makino has some familiarity with his current portfolio. He also served as Deputy Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs. In the past, Makino has cited a “vigorous reconstruction” of the area affected by the 2011 triple disaster as one of his policy principles, something he is expected to pursue in his new post.
Minister of State for Regional Revitalization
Hitoshi Kikawada (cabinet first-timer)
Holding a master’s degree in marine environmental science, Kikawada has long focused on ocean-related policy as a lawmaker. Previous postings include Deputy Minister of the Cabinet Office under Kishida, which included matters related to Okinawa and the Northern Territories. This experience should prove useful to his additional role as Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs.
Minister of State for Economic Security
Kimi Onoda (cabinet first-timer)
Born in Chicago to a Japanese mother and an American father, Onoda is the youngest member of the Takaichi Cabinet at 42. She has previously served as Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Justice under Suga and Defense under Kishida. On top of handling economic security, she was designated as the newly-created Minister in Charge of a Society of Well-Ordered and Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals. Onoda linked both issues declaring that while policy must not fall into xenophobia, ensuring the safety and security of the public is essential for economic growth, referencing supposed crimes, nuisances and abuses committed by foreign nationals.
Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission
Jiro Akama (cabinet first-timer)
Holding a master’s degree in economic sociology from the University of Manchester, Akama served as Parliamentary Vice-Ministers for Internal Affairs and Communication under Abe. He is a supporter of constitutional reform and the exercise of the right of collective self-defense. His new post oversees the National Police Agency, which has been called upon to deal with the increase in bear attacks. Akama said NPA officials will be sent to affected prefectures to hear local requests regarding the use of rifles.
Conclusion
Takaichi’s cabinet mixes fresh faces, stalwart allies, and political rivals to foster the perspective of a unified LDP minority government. The lack of Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai) members ensconced in the cabinet, akin to what previously took place during Komeito’s 26-year-old coalition agreement, adds a new dynamic to this LDP cabinet. Takaichi has her work cut out for her, and she’s confident this team will be the ones to enact her vision of a strong and prosperous Japan.
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Photo Credits
Yoshimasa Hayashi
首相官邸ホームページ, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Toshimitsu Motegi
首相官邸ホームページ, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Shinjiro Koizumi
首相官邸ホームページ, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Satsuki Katayama
財務省, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Ryosei Akazawa
首相官邸ホームページ, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Yasushi Kaneko
首相官邸, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Hiroshi Hiraguchi
内閣官房内閣広報室, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Yohei Matsumoto
首相官邸, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Kenichiro Ueno
内閣官房内閣広報室, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Norikazu Suzuki
農林水産省 (MAFF), CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Hirotaka Ishihara
首相官邸ホームページ, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Minoru Kihara
防衛省・自衛隊ホームページ, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Minoru Kiuchi
内閣府 (CAO), CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Hisashi Matsumoto
外務省 (MOFA), CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Takao Makino
内閣官房内閣広報室, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Hitoshi Kikawada
内閣府 (CAO), CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Kimi Onoda
English: Cabinet Public Relations Office of the Cabinet Secretariat日本語: 内閣官房内閣広報室, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Jiro Akama
内閣府 (CAO), CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons