New Cabinet Takes On ‘Takaichi Color’

The same day, the government finalized appointments for vice ministers and parliamentary secretaries—among them seven lawmakers from the former Abe faction who were previously linked to a political slush fund scandal.

Under the previous Ishiba administration, these lawmakers had been sidelined, but they are now returning to senior posts under the new government. Four were named vice ministers and three were appointed as parliamentary secretaries, all from the former Abe group.

Speaking as her administration began full operations, Prime Minister Takaichi said she was determined “never to give up in fulfilling the responsibility to open Japan’s future, believing in the strength of our country and its people.” Across government ministries, handover ceremonies took place from early morning. Outgoing ministers thanked their successors, and several emotional farewells marked the transition.

Among the new ministers was Jun Mihara, a former entertainer who assumed the post of minister for children and family policy. Mihara, who once served as moderator during Takaichi’s party leadership campaign, will also oversee women’s empowerment initiatives. She succeeds former defense minister Yasuhide Nakayama, who was seen taking commemorative photos with staff at the Defense Ministry before handing his post to Shinya Koizumi, who moved over from the agriculture ministry.

Koizumi said he would review Japan’s three key national security documents in line with Takaichi’s pledge to increase defense spending, stating that “it is necessary to reconsider the strategy with a sense of urgency, given Japan’s severe security environment.”

Political observers close to the prime minister described Koizumi as a “frontline figure,” suggesting that key decisions would still be made by Takaichi herself.

Also drawing attention was Kimi Onoda, the youngest minister in the new Cabinet, who took up the newly created post overseeing foreign resident policy. At her first press conference, Onoda said that while Japan must avoid xenophobia, “a situation in which citizens feel anxiety or unfairness due to crimes and misconduct by some foreign residents cannot be ignored.” She said she would consider stricter measures against foreigners who break the rules, adding that “ensuring public safety and security is essential for economic growth.”

Onoda, who entered politics hoping to “fight injustice and stand up for what is right,” has in the past questioned the fairness of social welfare benefits for non-Japanese residents, arguing in the Diet that “in Japan, foreigners can continue to receive public assistance indefinitely once they obtain residency status, even without being checked for self-sufficiency.”

Meanwhile, Katayama, who became Japan’s first female finance minister, pledged to pursue what she called “responsible proactive fiscal policy,” reflecting Takaichi’s emphasis on state spending to stimulate private investment and growth. A former Finance Ministry bureaucrat, Katayama said at her inaugural press conference that she would “promote robust economic and fiscal management to revitalize Japan while balancing fiscal soundness.”

Katayama also positioned her stance as a continuation of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Abenomics policies, saying that “responsible proactive fiscal policy is in line with Abenomics, which brought major economic progress to this country.”

Opposition lawmakers, however, criticized the approach as contradictory, warning that further expansionary spending could fuel inflation, drive up interest rates, and weaken the yen. “The term ‘responsible proactive fiscal policy’ itself is full of contradictions,” one opposition member remarked.

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