Shinjiro Koizumi

Koizumi visited Yasukuni in 2025 as Agriculture Minister and again on 15 August 2026 as Defence Minister. The 2026 visit prompted official protests from China and expressions of regret from South Korea, which regard the shrine as a symbol of Japanese militarism because of the war criminals honoured there.

State of the evidence

Visits and diplomatic protests documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Direct personal responsibility

Appointed Agriculture Minister during the rice price crisis, Koizumi replaced some auctions of government reserves with directly negotiated contracts, aiming to get rice priced at around 2 000 yen per five kilograms onto shelves quickly. The approach prompted questions about government-set prices, fairness between retailers, milling and transport capacity, depletion of reserves and market impact.

State of the evidence

Public policy and parliamentary debate documented

Legal status — source text

Lawful administrative measure; no personal proceedings

Attribution

Direct political responsibility as Agriculture Minister

During the 2024 LDP presidential race, Koizumi proposed reviewing the four criteria established by case law that make redundancies difficult, particularly in large companies, while requiring greater retraining and assistance with finding new employment. Trade unions, politicians and commentators denounced a reform that could weaken job security.

State of the evidence

Political proposal documented and strongly contested

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Direct political responsibility

Following Japan's announcement of a new target to reduce emissions by 46% by 2030 compared with 2013, Koizumi was questioned about the figure and explained in an interview that he had seen the number 46 "vaguely" or as a "silhouette". The wording was widely ridiculed as evidence of a policy based on intuition rather than calculations.

State of the evidence

Statement and major controversy documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Direct personal responsibility for his wording

In late 2019, Shukan Bunshun published allegations that Koizumi had had a relationship with a married woman in 2015 and that a hotel stay costing more than 100 000 yen had been paid for by his political organisation. The hotel expenses were subsequently raised in the Diet.

State of the evidence

Press allegations and declared expenses documented; private use disputed

Legal status — source text

No conviction or decision establishing unlawful use of political funds identified

Attribution

Personal responsibility alleged; private matters not judicially established

Under Koizumi, Japan introduced nationwide charges for single-use plastic bags in July 2020. The measure prompted criticism of its limited environmental impact, as bags accounted for only a small proportion of plastic waste, and of the constraints imposed on consumers and businesses.

State of the evidence

National policy and public criticism documented

Legal status — source text

Lawful regulatory measure; no personal proceedings

Attribution

Political responsibility as Environment Minister and leading promoter of the measure

Shortly after becoming Environment Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi stated in New York that the fight against climate change should be "cool" and "sexy". The phrase was widely discussed and mocked, with some observers considering that it illustrated appealing communication but a lack of concrete objectives in the face of Japan's dependence on coal.

State of the evidence

Public statement documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Direct personal responsibility