Satsuki Katayama, the Woman at the Center of Japan’s Currency Fight NYT > Top Stories By: River Akira Davis · Kiuko Notoya and Hisako Ueno 1 September 2026 at 17:09 Japan’s finance minister, Satsuki Katayama, is under pressure to strengthen the yen while balancing competing demands from the prime minister and Washington. © Manami Yamada/ReutersJapan’s finance minister, Satsuki Katayama, at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in January. She is seen as bridge between American and Japanese policymakers.