Takaichi Cabinet’s Two Female Ministers Could Become a Double-Edged Sword: Katayama & Onoda Under Scrutiny

In public opinion polls, it reached a high level, ranking fifth in history

“I’m gonna smash the NHK~~!!”

Clenching her right fist—the signature pose of Tarō Tachibana, leader of the NHK Party! In the office of a certain House of Councillors member, newly appointed Minister for Economic Security Kimi Onoda (42) reportedly struck the pose with a big smile, doing an imitation of him.

On October 27, while making courtesy visits following her appointment as minister, Onoda was told by a long-time colleague, “You’re getting a lot of coverage on TV,” and, after performing the gesture above, she continued with, “I don’t like NHK, so I don’t own a TV and haven’t watched it. What should I do if they send me interview requests~~?” drawing laughter.

This youngest cabinet minister’s appointment is one of the topics drawing attention to the new administration led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (64). The administration has been met with high expectations from the outset. In a Yomiuri Shimbun poll conducted between the 21st and 22nd, the approval rating reached 71%—a historically high level, ranking fifth overall.

On October 28, Prime Minister Takaichi smoothly completed the Japan–U.S. summit meeting with President Trump (79). While the administration appears to be sailing smoothly, potential trouble may be lurking within. So warns Keishi Yamada, senior commentator at Jiji Press.

“In the upcoming extraordinary Diet session, Takaichi will likely face harsh questioning from the opposition over the reduction in the number of Diet seats—something she swallowed whole in order to form a coalition with Ishin—as well as over urgent issues like inflation countermeasures. Among the cabinet members, the one likely to become a target is Onoda. She has a strong reputation for being tough and quick to heat up, so the opposition may relentlessly attack her verbally in hopes of provoking a gaffe.”

When she ran in the 2022 Upper House election from the Okayama constituency, Onoda posted on social media that “Elections shouldn’t be based on other parties’ endorsements; each party should run independently,” effectively rejecting support from the Komeito. In response, Komeito threw its organizational votes behind her rival—but she still won by a huge margin of 180,000 votes. After this groundbreaking victory, she earned the nickname “Joan of Arc of Okayama.”A veteran LDP secretary whispers the party’s view of her:

“During COVID, she argued that if COVID becomes a designated infectious disease, treatment costs will be publicly funded, and people may come to Japan for that reason, which was criticized as encouraging discrimination against foreigners. In 2018, she suddenly posted on her SNS that the obligations of citizens are labor, tax payment, and education; as long as you fulfill your obligations, you may assert your rights, which also sparked controversy.

Her candid, unfiltered speech and strong drive are appealing, but once she decides she dislikes someone, she tends to completely shut them out—that’s the downside. She’s disliked the media since her rookie years, and even on her first day as a minister, she refused interviews at the press conference. Behind every reporter are readers and viewers, so building some kind of relationship is necessary. But she just won’t listen.”

Inducted into the power-harassment rankings’ hall of fame

At the joint meeting of both houses in July, this magazine’s reporter also handed her a business card, but she glanced at it, furrowed her brow, and said, “Uhhh, I don’t need that,” refusing to accept it. On social media as well, she blocks critical media outlets and ordinary users one after another. The aforementioned secretary sharply criticized her, saying:

“A politician is someone who puts policy achievement first—even if that means bowing their head to someone they dislike. She doesn’t have that kind of grit.”

There is another Achilles’ heel for the Takaichi administration. While Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama (66) is highly regarded for her abilities, she presents a different set of concerns from Onoda. A mid-level LDP lawmaker explains:

“Back in her University of Tokyo days, she worked as a reader model and was called the Madonna of Nagatacho. But behind the scenes, she was known for her power-harassment tendencies. She is from the Ministry of Finance, and in the internal power-harassment ranking list passed down within the ministry, she was listed as ‘Maegashira First Rank’ when she was Budget Examiner, and after retiring she was elevated to the ‘Hall of Fame’ category, labeled ‘Landlady.’ I’ve heard that throwing PET bottles at staff was an everyday occurrence at the time.”

It is still fresh in memory that in 2022 she received a recommendation for expulsion from the Nikai faction due to repeated unexcused absences. As chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in 2015, she was late to executive meetings for two consecutive months and tearfully apologized. In 2018, she referred to Shikoku as a remote island, drawing heavy criticism. Her reputation as a troublemaking lawmaker is widely known.

“Administrative Vice-Minister Hirotsugu Shinkawa and Budget Bureau Director Hirotaka Unami are her juniors, and she scolds them in casual speech—she certainly has the forcefulness to stand toe-to-toe with the Ministry of Finance. But at a time when -chan harassment is a social issue, she still calls male staff ‘○○-kun,’ showing that her values haven’t been updated. People around her are nervous that she might get tripped up sooner or later.” (the same veteran secretary)

Two sharp, formidable retainers supporting Japan’s first female prime minister. If the Takaichi administration mishandles these double-edged swords, the one who bleeds will be the administration itself.

From the November 14-21, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”