October 23, 2025
Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae on October 21 appointed a large number of pro-“Yasukuni” Dietmembers to cabinet ministers. She, at an extraordinary cabinet meeting the following day, appointed 54 vice ministers and parliamentary secretaries, including seven lawmakers who had been named in the LDP factions’ slush-fund allegations. The new cabinet lineup is as follows:
Minister of Internal Affairs
Hayashi Yoshimasa is a member of the “Shinto Political League” parliamentary group. In 2015, while serving as Minister of Fisheries, he nullified the order the Okinawa governor had issued to suspend the construction project of a new U.S. base at Henoko in Nago City. As chief cabinet secretary under the Ishiba government, he promoted the abolition of the current health insurance card system.
Minister of Justice
Hiraguchi Hiroshi is a member of the Shinto Political League parliamentary group and the Japan Conference (“Nippon Kaigi”) parliamentary group. He is suspected of falsifying his political funds reports. He is opposed to Japan’s participation in the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Motegi Toshimitsu, a member of the Shinto Political League parliamentary group and the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group, led negotiations for the TPP-11 free-trade pact and for a Japan-U.S. trade deal, consequently dealing a heavy blow to the domestic agriculture and livestock industries. He is suspected of falsifying entries in his political funding reports.
Minister of Finance
Katayama Satsuki, a member of the Shinto Political League parliamentary group and the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group, repeatedly makes remarks attacking people on welfare and discriminatory remarks against sexual minorities. She is opposed to the introduction of a selective separate surname system for married couples.
Minister of Education
Matsumoto Yohei, a member of the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group, visited the Yasukuni Shrine while serving as vice minister of the Cabinet Office. He promotes the casino-centric integrated resort (IR) plan. In 2019, it was revealed that the LDP electoral district branch headed by himself had paid membership dues to the Unification Church-affiliated Women’s Federation for World Peace.
Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare
Ueno Kenichiro belongs to the Shinto Political League parliamentary group and the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group. He opposes the legalization of same-sex marriage.
He is “somewhat against” a selective separate surname system for married couples. In 2018 and 2019, he paid membership fees to organizations affiliated with the Unification Church through his own fund-management body. In 2021, he attended a general meeting of the Unification Church-affiliated legislators’ association.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Suzuki Norikazu, in late 2018 when the TPP, which eliminated tariffs on over 80% of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products, took effect, played a key role in promoting the export of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products and commodities.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
Akazawa Ryosei in September of this year agreed to provide a 550-billion-dollar investment to encourage Japanese corporations to invest in the United States in fields selected by U.S. President Trump, such as in semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. He has previously given lectures at meetings of an affiliate organization of the Unification Church.
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Kaneko Yasushi, a member of the Shinto Political League parliamentary group and the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group. In 2000, it was revealed that approximately ten million yen had been funneled to Kaneko through an LDP electoral district branch and an LDP fund-management body from contractors involved in a dam project in Kumamoto Prefecture. In 2001, similar suspicions arose that industry groups made political donations to Kaneko. He is opposed to the introduction of a separate surname system for married couples.
Minister of the Environment
Ishihara Hirotaka participates in the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group and is in favor of the casino-centric integrated resort (IR) plan. He has delivered speeches at meetings of Unification Church-affiliated organizations.
Minister of Defense
Koizumi Shinjiro is a former CSIS researcher. He insists on the need to continue to allow political donations from corporations and interest groups. He visits Yasukuni Shrine every year on August 15.
Chief Cabinet Secretary
Kihara Minoru is an official in the Shinto Political League parliamentary group and the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group. He supports the massive military buildup plan, including the introduction of long-range missiles. He forcibly advanced the project to build a new U.S. base at Henoko in Okinawa.
Minister for Digital Transformation
Matsumoto Hisashi is a member of the Shinto Political League parliamentary group. He insists that he sees no problem with regard to the safety of Osprey aircraft despite the series of Osprey crashes. He has previously spoken at rallies hosted by constitutional revisionists. He disagrees with the introduction of a separate surname system for married couples.
Minister for Reconstruction
Makino Takao takes part in the Shinto Political League parliamentary group.
He “donated” ten million yen to himself from the 2013 political party subsidies he received from the LDP headquarters. However, what the money was used for remains unclear. He asserts that further Diet investigations into the LDP’s off-the-book fund scandal is “unnecessary.” He opposes the introduction of a selective dual-surname system for married couples as well as the elimination of university tuition fees.
National Public Safety Commission, Minister of State for Disaster Management
Akama Jiro is a member of the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group. He visited Taiwan in 2017 as deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, increasing tensions with the Chinese government.
Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, Minister of State for Measures for Declining Birthrate
Kikawada Hitoshi, a member of the Shinto Political League parliamentary group, opposes the introduction of a separate surname system for married couples. In 2021, he in a Mainichi Shimbun survey answered that Japan should consider nuclear armament.
Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy
Kiuchi Minoru participates in both the Shinto Political League parliamentary group and the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group. He serves as an executive member of two pro-Yasukuni parliamentary groups. In 2018, he sent a congratulatory telegram to an event held by a Unification Church-affiliated company. At the Yasukuni Shrine’s spring festival this year, Kiuchi donated a sacred tree called “masakaki” as an offering to the shrine. He is an opponent of the introduction of a separate surname system for married couples.
Minister of State for Economic Security
Onoda Kimi is a member of the Shinto Political League parliamentary group. While serving as Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense, she forcibly deployed SDF missile units to the Nansei (Southwest) Islands. She appeared in an LDP video titled, “Toward zero illegal foreigners,” which exaggerates the abuse of Japan’s welfare programs by foreigners. Onoda is a symbol of the LDP’s xenophobic policies.
Minister of Internal Affairs
Hayashi Yoshimasa is a member of the “Shinto Political League” parliamentary group. In 2015, while serving as Minister of Fisheries, he nullified the order the Okinawa governor had issued to suspend the construction project of a new U.S. base at Henoko in Nago City. As chief cabinet secretary under the Ishiba government, he promoted the abolition of the current health insurance card system.
Minister of Justice
Hiraguchi Hiroshi is a member of the Shinto Political League parliamentary group and the Japan Conference (“Nippon Kaigi”) parliamentary group. He is suspected of falsifying his political funds reports. He is opposed to Japan’s participation in the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Motegi Toshimitsu, a member of the Shinto Political League parliamentary group and the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group, led negotiations for the TPP-11 free-trade pact and for a Japan-U.S. trade deal, consequently dealing a heavy blow to the domestic agriculture and livestock industries. He is suspected of falsifying entries in his political funding reports.
Minister of Finance
Katayama Satsuki, a member of the Shinto Political League parliamentary group and the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group, repeatedly makes remarks attacking people on welfare and discriminatory remarks against sexual minorities. She is opposed to the introduction of a selective separate surname system for married couples.
Minister of Education
Matsumoto Yohei, a member of the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group, visited the Yasukuni Shrine while serving as vice minister of the Cabinet Office. He promotes the casino-centric integrated resort (IR) plan. In 2019, it was revealed that the LDP electoral district branch headed by himself had paid membership dues to the Unification Church-affiliated Women’s Federation for World Peace.
Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare
Ueno Kenichiro belongs to the Shinto Political League parliamentary group and the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group. He opposes the legalization of same-sex marriage.
He is “somewhat against” a selective separate surname system for married couples. In 2018 and 2019, he paid membership fees to organizations affiliated with the Unification Church through his own fund-management body. In 2021, he attended a general meeting of the Unification Church-affiliated legislators’ association.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Suzuki Norikazu, in late 2018 when the TPP, which eliminated tariffs on over 80% of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products, took effect, played a key role in promoting the export of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products and commodities.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
Akazawa Ryosei in September of this year agreed to provide a 550-billion-dollar investment to encourage Japanese corporations to invest in the United States in fields selected by U.S. President Trump, such as in semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. He has previously given lectures at meetings of an affiliate organization of the Unification Church.
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Kaneko Yasushi, a member of the Shinto Political League parliamentary group and the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group. In 2000, it was revealed that approximately ten million yen had been funneled to Kaneko through an LDP electoral district branch and an LDP fund-management body from contractors involved in a dam project in Kumamoto Prefecture. In 2001, similar suspicions arose that industry groups made political donations to Kaneko. He is opposed to the introduction of a separate surname system for married couples.
Minister of the Environment
Ishihara Hirotaka participates in the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group and is in favor of the casino-centric integrated resort (IR) plan. He has delivered speeches at meetings of Unification Church-affiliated organizations.
Minister of Defense
Koizumi Shinjiro is a former CSIS researcher. He insists on the need to continue to allow political donations from corporations and interest groups. He visits Yasukuni Shrine every year on August 15.
Chief Cabinet Secretary
Kihara Minoru is an official in the Shinto Political League parliamentary group and the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group. He supports the massive military buildup plan, including the introduction of long-range missiles. He forcibly advanced the project to build a new U.S. base at Henoko in Okinawa.
Minister for Digital Transformation
Matsumoto Hisashi is a member of the Shinto Political League parliamentary group. He insists that he sees no problem with regard to the safety of Osprey aircraft despite the series of Osprey crashes. He has previously spoken at rallies hosted by constitutional revisionists. He disagrees with the introduction of a separate surname system for married couples.
Minister for Reconstruction
Makino Takao takes part in the Shinto Political League parliamentary group.
He “donated” ten million yen to himself from the 2013 political party subsidies he received from the LDP headquarters. However, what the money was used for remains unclear. He asserts that further Diet investigations into the LDP’s off-the-book fund scandal is “unnecessary.” He opposes the introduction of a selective dual-surname system for married couples as well as the elimination of university tuition fees.
National Public Safety Commission, Minister of State for Disaster Management
Akama Jiro is a member of the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group. He visited Taiwan in 2017 as deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, increasing tensions with the Chinese government.
Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, Minister of State for Measures for Declining Birthrate
Kikawada Hitoshi, a member of the Shinto Political League parliamentary group, opposes the introduction of a separate surname system for married couples. In 2021, he in a Mainichi Shimbun survey answered that Japan should consider nuclear armament.
Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy
Kiuchi Minoru participates in both the Shinto Political League parliamentary group and the Nippon Kaigi parliamentary group. He serves as an executive member of two pro-Yasukuni parliamentary groups. In 2018, he sent a congratulatory telegram to an event held by a Unification Church-affiliated company. At the Yasukuni Shrine’s spring festival this year, Kiuchi donated a sacred tree called “masakaki” as an offering to the shrine. He is an opponent of the introduction of a separate surname system for married couples.
Minister of State for Economic Security
Onoda Kimi is a member of the Shinto Political League parliamentary group. While serving as Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense, she forcibly deployed SDF missile units to the Nansei (Southwest) Islands. She appeared in an LDP video titled, “Toward zero illegal foreigners,” which exaggerates the abuse of Japan’s welfare programs by foreigners. Onoda is a symbol of the LDP’s xenophobic policies.
