Katayama Becomes Japan’s First Female Finance Minister

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi named Satsuki Katayama as Finance Minister, making her the first woman to oversee the country’s troubled finances.

Katayama, a former regional economic revitalization minister and Finance Ministry bureaucrat replaces Katsunobu Kato. She was one of the 20 lawmakers who backed Takaichi’s bid to become the Liberal Democratic Party’s leader earlier this month. Katayama’s appointment was reported earlier by local media.