Neues Kabinett: Katayama als Finanzminister, Akazawa als Wirtschafts-, Handels- und Industrieminister und Onoda als Außenpolitikbeauftragter

Onoda has also been appointed Minister of Economic Security, which is much more noteworthy imo. The Japanese electorate has a curious fascination with the term “national security,” despite having little understanding of what it actually entails. It simply sounds impressive to their ears. Over the past fifteen years, nearly every contender for PM has held a post either in the Ministry of Defense (created under Abe) or in the newer Ministry of Economic Security, which was likewise established because the name itself carried political appeal, not because it truly serves a function (Japan already did economic security, since the 1970s even). It is equally revealing that the Ministry of Defense has now been handed to Koizumi. This appointment seems to function as a bargaining chip, the price Takaichi had to pay to the older liberal-conservatives. If he performs well, he may redeem himself in the eyes of the public. Those at the top are undoubtedly aware that this “muh national security” narrative serves well since Abe made it his whole deal, in a postwar society largely unacquainted with its deeper implications.