is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

serving in Japan's

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers. If the t ...

, having been elected in July 2010 as a candidate for the

Liberal Democratic Party Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...

(LDP). She previously represented the Shizuoka 7th district in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

for one term from 2005 until 2009.

Early life and career

Katayama was born in Urawa,

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

(later Urawa-ku, Saitama). After graduation with a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree from the

University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

, where she was chosen Miss Tokyo University (Miss Tōdai), Katayama found employment in the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...

(MoF) as a secretary for Finance Minister

Michio Watanabe was a Japanese political figure. He was born in Ōtawara, Tochigi and graduated from the Tokyo College of Commerce (now Hitotsubashi University) in 1942. He worked as a reporter for the ''Yomiuri Shimbun'', a certified tax accountant, and a mem ...

. During her time at the MoF, Satsuki Katayama graduated from

ENA Ena or ENA may refer to: Education * École nationale d'administration, French Grande école, for civil service * Education Networks of America, Internet service provider Government and politics * English National Association, a former poli ...

in France.

Political career

Katayama Suga Yamamoto etc in Shibuya DSCN2571 20060919

She was elected to the

for the first time in the 2005 general election and served as Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. She was one of 83 so-called "

Koizumi Children is a popular Japanese political term for the 83 LDP members of the House of Representatives first elected in the 2005 general election. The Koizumi Children are loosely organized into a political association called . The term is a reference ...

," LDP candidates elected for the first time amid the widespread popularity of reformist prime minister

Junichiro Koizumi Junichiro Koizumi ( ; , ''Koizumi Jun'ichirō'' ; born 8 January 1942) is a Japanese retired politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) ...

; Koizumi touted Katayama as a "madonna of reform." Katayama and 72 other "Koizumi Children" were defeated in the 2009 general election, in which the

Democratic Party of Japan The was a Centrism, centristThe Democratic Party of Japan was widely described as centrist: * * * * * * * to Centre-left politics, centre-left, Liberalism, liberal or Social liberalism, social-liberal List of political parties in Japan, ...

routed the LDP. Following the 2009 election, Katayama commented that "the past four years have been a fight against the symbols of Koizumi's reforms, and we have proved they were wrong." She later characterized herself as a "war-displaced orphan" in 2011. On 1 May 2019, she attended the presentation of the Three Sacred Treasures to Emperor

Naruhito Naruhito (born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne following 2019 Japanese imperial transition, the abdication of his father, Akihito, on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. He is the 126th monarch, ...

. In the last such ceremony in 1989, only males were allowed to be in attendance; however in 2019 all cabinet members were allowed to attend regardless of sex, although only male adults from the imperial family could attend. Katayama, like many of her LDP colleagues, is affiliated with the ultra-conservative Nippon Kaigi. She also has strong

anti-Korean sentiment Anti-Korean sentiment or Koryophobia describes negative feelings towards Koreans, Korean people, Culture of Korea, Korean culture, or the countries, North Korea and/or South Korea. Anti-Korean sentiment has varied by location and time. Major h ...

and has attended meetings of the far-right, xenophobic

Zaitokukai Zaitokukai, full name , is an ultra-nationalist and Far-right politics, far-right extremist political organization in Japan, which calls for an end to state welfare and alleged privileges afforded to Koreans in Japan, Zainichi Koreans. It has b ...

, an extremist organization that seeks to eliminate supposed privileges to Zanichi Koreans. Katayama opposes

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...

in Japan, especially

transgender rights The legal status of transgender people varies greatly around the world. Some countries have enacted laws protecting the rights of transgender individuals, but others have criminalized their gender identity or expression. In many cases, transg ...

Personal life

She married international politics professor

Yōichi Masuzoe is a Japanese politician who was elected to the position of governor of Tokyo in 2014 and resigned in June 2016 due to the misuse of public funds. He was previously a member of the Japanese House of Councillors and served as the Minister of He ...

in 1986 while working at the MoF. They separated after several months, divorced in 1989 and are both remarried. Masuzoe later became a prominent media personality and member of the

, and both Masuzoe and Katayama were considered by the LDP as candidates for the 2014 gubernatorial election in Tokyo.

Prime Minister of Japan The is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Force ...

Shinzō Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving pri ...

, who led the LDP to endorse Masuzoe in his successful election, said that he wanted Katayama more than anyone else to stand in support of Masuzoe, but Katayama responded that it was difficult for her to do so given Masuzoe's publicized dispute over support payments to one of his extramarital children, who is disabled. Katayama and Masuzoe both studied at ENA, France. In 1990, she married Ryutaro Katayama, a Japanese businessman who is an alumnus of

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Katayama, Satsuki 1959 births Living people People from Saitama (city) University of Tokyo alumni Koizumi Children Women members of the House of Representatives (Japan) Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians Anti-Korean sentiment in Japan 21st-century Japanese women politicians Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2005–2009