# 2026年10月15日（木）コメンテーター：東野篤子

- Show: 飯田浩司のOK! Cozy up！ Podcast【最新回のみ】
- Published: 2026-10-15
- Canonical: https://podc.club/en/episode/1366187377_53b1b9409f96.html
- Audio: https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/67122501-9b17-4d77-84bd-a93d00dc791e/3c31cad9-230a-4a5f-b487-a9de001adcdd/451a33cc-fd51-4188-964f-b4e3017b1cc6/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=47a5ec59-4c22-496d-b71d-b2a4001ebd5d
- Source: Edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. Not an official summary.

On the October 15 broadcast of Iida Koji's OK! Cozy Up! Podcast, University of Tsukuba Professor Atsuko Higashino (東野篤子) sharply criticized Agriculture Minister Nogami's resignation — accepted by Prime Minister Takaichi — over remarks about cutting road budgets for politically unsupportive municipalities, calling the logic fundamentally incompatible with democracy. The episode also covered Russia's FSB detaining a Hokkaido Shimbun reporter on espionage charges and transferring him to Moscow, with Higashino warning that Japan must not treat the case as a bargaining chip to be resolved by lifting sanctions. Markets were rattled after U.S. September CPI beat forecasts, pushing the dollar-yen rate briefly to 158.95 and sending both the Dow and Nasdaq lower.

## What this episode answers

### Why did Agriculture Minister Nogami resign, and how did Higashino evaluate the situation?

Nogami submitted his resignation after allegedly pressuring the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to cut road budgets for municipalities that had not supported him; compounding matters were allegations involving complimentary rail passes and payments to campaign workers, and explanations that 'kept changing.' Higashino condemned the episode as a totalitarian mindset running directly counter to democracy's core principle that citizens receive equal public services regardless of which politician they support, and stressed that roads are indispensable security infrastructure serving as evacuation and supply routes.

### What reasons did Russia give for detaining the Hokkaido Shimbun reporter, and what is Moscow's apparent purpose?

Russia's FSB and Interfax cited four grounds: collecting and storing data from Kuril Islands residents on Ukraine mobilization numbers; soliciting those residents to gather related information; acting on instructions from a Japanese intelligence agency; and attempting to hand information to a third party in ways damaging to Russia's national security. Spokesperson Zakharova's statement that Japan must end 'hostile measures' as a condition for resolution led Higashino to conclude that Moscow is effectively declaring it will use the reporter as a diplomatic bargaining chip against Japan.

### What responses should the Japanese government take going forward, and what must it avoid?

Higashino identified two things Japan must not do: treat the reporter as a spy and defer to Russia's judicial process; and capitulate to pressure by immediately lifting sanctions, which would give Russia a 'success experience' and invite further hostage diplomacy. Japan should instead persistently demand an explanation of the detention grounds and confirmation of the reporter's health and wellbeing.

### How did the U.S. CPI announcement affect New York markets and the yen?

U.S. September CPI came in at 3.7% year-on-year against a forecast of 3.6%, and core CPI accelerated from 2.4% in August to 2.6%, reviving expectations of a Fed rate hike at the upcoming FOMC meeting; the dollar was bought up and the yen temporarily fell to around 158.95, while the Dow closed down 48.62 points at 51,621.48 and the Nasdaq fell 511.51 points to 26,692.87.

### What past cases of Russia detaining foreign media figures did Higashino cite?

Higashino cited a Kyodo News reporter detained for roughly five hours in Vladivostok in 2019 and subsequently released, a Japanese consular official who was subjected to blindfolded interrogation, and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges before being released in 2024.

## Article

## Chiiкawa and International Politics — Higashino's Fresh Angle

Professor Atsuko Higashino of the University of Tsukuba celebrated her birthday on October 10 and, during a television appearance the following Monday, spent ten minutes giving a serious explanation of the ICC — only to have an announcer immediately pivot to a segment about the anime character Chiiкawa. Rather than dismissing the detour, Higashino argued that the Chiiкawa film actually offers rich material for international-politics themes such as dual-use (the conversion of civilian goods for military purposes) and extracting every possible resource from what is available — right down to a flying squirrel's tail. "The slightly dark stories the characters tell remind me of the never-ending situation in Europe," she said, adding that she plans to incorporate the franchise into future lectures and YouTube content.

## Cyber Fraud and IoT Threats — Risks Closer to Home

Higashino shared that she herself has received phishing emails impersonating well-known figures and prominent journalists, cautioning that links cleared as safe by antivirus software can still be dangerous in practice. She also relayed a case from France in which a major supermarket chain's IoT-managed freezers were hijacked in a cyberattack, driving internal temperatures to nearly 50°C. "You can't manage operations at scale without AI and networked systems — but that connectivity is exactly the vulnerability attackers exploit," she observed.

## Agriculture Minister Nogami's Resignation — What the Road-Budget Remarks Really Mean

Agriculture Minister Nogami submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Takaichi (高市) on October 14, which was accepted. The immediate trigger was a reported remark in which Nogami allegedly pressured the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to cut road budgets for municipalities that had not supported him. Separate allegations involving complimentary rail passes and payments to campaign workers compounded the damage, as did the fact that his explanations "kept changing."

Higashino, who regularly argues for roads as critical security infrastructure, said she "could barely contain her anger." "Roads aren't just for commuting — they are indispensable infrastructure for evacuation and supply logistics in emergencies. Allowing political considerations to determine their funding raises serious questions about how little weight is given to residents' safety and disaster preparedness." She went further: "Does opposing a particular politician mean you forfeit the right to use public roads? That is a totalitarian way of thinking, and it runs directly counter to the spirit of democracy." She described the problem as a chronic ailment of Japanese politics across party lines — LDP and DPJ alike — and called on citizens to hold their representatives to a much stricter standard. Tamaki Yuichiro (玉木雄一郎) has posted an analysis of the actual budget mechanics on X and is scheduled to appear on the program next week.

## Russia Detains Hokkaido Shimbun Reporter on Espionage Charges

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on October 13 that it had detained a male reporter from the Hokkaido Shimbun's Sakhalin bureau on suspicion of espionage. The reporter was apprehended in Siberia and transferred to Moscow; a court approved two months of pre-trial detention. Foreign Minister Motegi stated that Japan had "requested confirmation of the facts and humane treatment," but Tokyo had yet to make direct contact with the reporter.

Russia's Interfax news agency listed four grounds for the detention: (1) gathering and storing information from Kuril Islands residents on the number of people mobilized to Ukraine; (2) soliciting those residents to collect related information; (3) acting on instructions from a Japanese intelligence agency; and (4) attempting to pass information to a third party in ways damaging to Russia's national security. Higashino cautioned that what "contact with a Japanese intelligence agency" actually means is unclear, and that Interfax is simply relaying Russia's own claims.

Kremlin spokesperson Zakharova stated that Japan ending "hostile measures" was the condition for resolution. Higashino interpreted this as "an extension of Russia's longstanding demands — lifting sanctions and halting support for Ukraine — and effectively a public declaration that the reporter will be used as a bargaining chip in Russia-Japan diplomacy." She identified two responses Japan must avoid: treating the reporter as a spy and deferring to Russia's judicial process; and caving to pressure by immediately lifting sanctions, which would hand Russia a success experience and invite further hostage diplomacy. Past parallels cited include a Kyodo News reporter briefly detained for about five hours in Vladivostok in 2019, a Japanese consular official subjected to blindfolded interrogation, and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, sentenced to 16 years on espionage charges before being released in 2024.

## Currency and Equity Markets: CPI Shock Roils Trading

According to Kanda Takuya (神田卓也), Senior FX Analyst at gaitame.com Research Institute, New York markets on October 14 (local time) closed with the Dow Jones down 48.62 points at 51,621.48 and the Nasdaq down 511.51 points at 26,692.87. U.S. September CPI came in at 3.7% year-on-year versus a forecast of 3.6%, while core CPI accelerated from 2.4% in August to 2.6%, reviving speculation that the Fed could consider a rate hike at this month's FOMC meeting. The dollar-yen rate briefly touched 158.95 before pulling back to around 158.30 as U.S. long-term yields retreated.

## Takeaways

- Agriculture Minister Nogami resigned over remarks about cutting road budgets for politically unsupportive municipalities; Higashino condemned this as a totalitarian mindset that contradicts the democratic principle of equal public services for all citizens.
- Russia's FSB detained the Hokkaido Shimbun's Sakhalin bureau reporter on espionage charges and transferred him to Moscow; Higashino analyzed Moscow's demand that Japan end 'hostile measures' as a declaration that the reporter will serve as a diplomatic bargaining chip, and warned that lifting sanctions in response would only encourage further hostage diplomacy.
- U.S. September CPI beat forecasts at 3.7% year-on-year, reigniting FOMC rate-hike expectations and sending the Dow and Nasdaq lower while briefly pushing the yen to 158.95 against the dollar.