North Korea Calls Takaichi a 'Fanatic' as Tokyo Argues With Itself About Trump

Why This Topic Landed in Japan

PM Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual "masakaki" offering to Yasukuni Shrine's spring grand festival on April 21, 2026. Several days later North Korean state media called her a "fanatic of new militarism" and attacked the cabinet's defense budget plans. The same week, a Tokyo street protest called for replacing her with former PM Ishiba and was covered on TBS, while overseas-reaction roundups translated foreign analyses framing Japan's path under Takaichi's pro-Trump posture as "hell." For Japanese reaction sites the result was a single thread: hostile foreign rhetoric, hostile domestic rhetoric, and a defensive base that reads both as proof her government is doing something right.

Key Reaction Themes

• Reverse-the-attack-on-the-attacker — The most common move was to flip North Korea's "fanatic" framing back: a regime that fires constant missiles is in no position to call anyone a fanatic.
• Skepticism of the 'bring back Ishiba' protest — Many commenters dismissed the protest as China-friendly or astroturfed, citing TBS coverage as evidence of media bias rather than genuine grassroots feeling.
• Foreign-analysis fatigue — Overseas-reaction comments framed Takaichi's alignment with Trump as setting Japan up for an oil-and-energy disaster, but Japanese readers tended to brush this off as outsider commentary that ignores domestic political realities.
• Quiet support based on outcomes — A noticeable subset said the cabinet is "delivering results," tying it to anecdotal claims like "fewer rude Chinese tourists" and arguing she should not step down.
• Defense and missile-tech subplot — Threads spilled into technical details about North Korean missiles using "50-year-old fabrication methods" and commercial electronic parts, repositioning the regime as more pathetic than threatening.

What Japanese Netizens Are Saying

• "North Korean media called PM Takaichi 'a fanatic of new militarism' over her masakaki offering at Yasukuni's spring festival."
• "They also slammed the Takaichi cabinet for boosting the defense budget, saying funds are being poured into 'developing and procuring various means of war.'"
• "Ukraine in 2024 said the wreckage they recovered matched North Korean missiles."
• "Their missiles are reportedly built with 'old-style fabrication methods,' visible in things like soldering quality."
• "These weapons use commercially available electronic components, with manufacturing methods in some cases stuck at a level 50 years out of date."
• "Go protest at Henoko, idiot."
• "China probably figures Ishiba is easier to handle. The leftists are dancing exactly to that tune."
• "There was literally a 'Don't quit, Ishiba' protest before. Are these people incapable of learning? Even AI updates faster."
• "There was a 'Don't quit, Ishiba' rally? That's unprecedented, isn't it?"
• "Xi Jinping: 'Do it.' TBS pig: 'Yes, my lord.'"
• "Takaichi is delivering results. She doesn't need to quit. Annoying Chinese tourists have stopped showing up and people are quietly relieved."
• "Why Ishiba, of all people? It should be Kishida."
• "Ishiba's approval was awful. The only people backing him were probably the leftists, and they don't actually vote that way anyway."
• "TBS isn't there to cover it — they're there to participate."
• "This crowd looks like maybe 36,000 people. Sure, you can't see them, but trust me."