September 18, 2026
Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae on September 17 launched her second cabinet. Ten of the initial 19 cabinet members were replaced, and seven joined the cabinet for the first time. The number of female cabinet members, including Takaichi, remains at three, the same as in the previous cabinet.
Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira, at a press conference held in the Diet building on the same day, criticized the retention of key cabinet members who have pursued harmful policies, including the ongoing arms buildup. He also criticized the appointment of figures who had been disciplined for their involvement in the Liberal Democratic Party’s slush fund scandal.
Koike stated, “With key cabinet members staying on, fiscal, foreign, and defense policies will be pushed forward without any reflection whatsoever.”
Yana Kazuo, the newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), was disciplined for failing to report 17.46 million yen in his political funds reports while he was in the former Abe faction. Seki Yoshihiro who will become Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) was also found to have been involved in off-the-books money pilferage totaling 8.36 million yen while in the ex-Abe faction. Furthermore, Seki faced criticism for attending a meeting of a Unification Church-affiliated organization.
Koike said, “When Yana appeared before a Lower House Political Ethics Committee hearing in 2024, he testified that he didn’t remember when the discrepancies in his political funds reports began. He continued to evade accepting accountability.” Koike also said, “Seki had ties with the Unification Church. Therefore, he is unfit to serve as the minister in charge of issues related to anti-social religious cults.”
Koike expressed concern about the appointment of “Nippon Ishin no Kai” Secretary-General Nakatsuka Hiroshi to his first cabinet post. He said, “The inclusion of the ‘Ishin’ in the Cabinet will further accelerate the pace of misgovernment.” Nakatsuka during his tenure as mayor of Hirakata City, Osaka, was found guilty of bid-rigging for construction work. Koike questioned whether such a person should be appointed a cabinet minister.
The JCP secretariat head expressed his determination, stating, “Diet affairs will likely proceed with even greater disregard for Diet deliberations than before. Our party will confront the Takaichi Cabinet head-on.”
Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira, at a press conference held in the Diet building on the same day, criticized the retention of key cabinet members who have pursued harmful policies, including the ongoing arms buildup. He also criticized the appointment of figures who had been disciplined for their involvement in the Liberal Democratic Party’s slush fund scandal.
Koike stated, “With key cabinet members staying on, fiscal, foreign, and defense policies will be pushed forward without any reflection whatsoever.”
Yana Kazuo, the newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), was disciplined for failing to report 17.46 million yen in his political funds reports while he was in the former Abe faction. Seki Yoshihiro who will become Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) was also found to have been involved in off-the-books money pilferage totaling 8.36 million yen while in the ex-Abe faction. Furthermore, Seki faced criticism for attending a meeting of a Unification Church-affiliated organization.
Koike said, “When Yana appeared before a Lower House Political Ethics Committee hearing in 2024, he testified that he didn’t remember when the discrepancies in his political funds reports began. He continued to evade accepting accountability.” Koike also said, “Seki had ties with the Unification Church. Therefore, he is unfit to serve as the minister in charge of issues related to anti-social religious cults.”
Koike expressed concern about the appointment of “Nippon Ishin no Kai” Secretary-General Nakatsuka Hiroshi to his first cabinet post. He said, “The inclusion of the ‘Ishin’ in the Cabinet will further accelerate the pace of misgovernment.” Nakatsuka during his tenure as mayor of Hirakata City, Osaka, was found guilty of bid-rigging for construction work. Koike questioned whether such a person should be appointed a cabinet minister.
The JCP secretariat head expressed his determination, stating, “Diet affairs will likely proceed with even greater disregard for Diet deliberations than before. Our party will confront the Takaichi Cabinet head-on.”
