Reconstruction Minister Wataru Takeshita was the wealthiest of 12 new ministers appointed to the Cabinet in September as measured by family assets, government data said Friday.
The younger half-brother of former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita (1924-2000), who was in power between 1987 and 1989, had a declared fortune of ¥457.72 million.
Takeshita's wealth represented more than half of the new ministers' combined wealth, a total of ¥883.17 million.
Shigeru Ishiba, minister in charge of revitalizing local economies, ranked 10th with ¥20.91 million. Ishiba's appointment made headlines during the reshuffle because he was the powerful secretary-general of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party at the time and Abe's rival for prime minister.
The 12 were each worth an average of ¥73.60 million, which brings down the average net worth of all Cabinet members, including Abe and six retained ministers, to ¥87.65 million, from ¥101.93 million before the reshuffle.
Among the five female ministers given appointments, Justice Minister Midori Matsushima ranked first with ¥63.90 million, followed by trade and industry minister Yuko Obuchi, with ¥28.04 million.
Haruko Arimura, minister in charge of women's empowerment, ranked last — with ¥1.25 million in time deposits.
Takeshita's family assets included his wife's time deposits of ¥245 million, but do not cover his shareholdings in companies such as a contractor founded by his wife's family.
Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki ranked second, with ¥81.6 million.