He stepped down as the Minister of Justice after reports of overpaying workers of Anri Kawai's political campaign beyond the legal limit.

In 1985 he graduated from the Faculty of Law at Keio University, specializing in political science, and then enrolled in The Matsushita Institute of Government and Management in Chigasaki.

In the 1996 Japanese general election he succeed in defeating Yoshitake Masuhara of the New Frontier Party, becoming the representative of from Hiroshima District Three.

However, he lost this position in the 2000 Japanese general election to his former opponent Yoshitake Masuhara (at that time not affiliated with any political party); his supporters pointed out, "The main reason for your defeat is that you are still single."

In the 2003 election Kawai ran in the PR block, coming in second and thus returning to the National Diet, where he served as parliamentary secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Second and Third Koizumi Cabinets.

[12] Kawai Katsuyuki's wife Anri won a seat from the Hiroshima District in the 2019 Japanese House of Councillors election (21 July 2019), her first electoral win, against a background of Kawai's attempts to purchase votes for her between March and August of that year, distributing about 25.7 million yen ($280,000) in cash to about 100 politicians, mayors, and supporters.

[13][14][15] As a result of the election Kawai became Minister of Justice in the Fourth Realignment of the Second Stint Abe Cabinet, but as suspicions of voter bribery began to surface, he stepped down after six weeks (in office: 2019 September 11 until October 31).

[16] Recipients of bribes As of July 6, 2021, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is preparing to drop charges against all of the 100 local assembly members and others who allegedly received cash.

[18] The detective testified that his fee of 700,000 yen was paid by Nihon no Yume Sozo Kiko (Organization for Creating a Dream of Japan, Kawai's financial support group), via a consulting firm in Yokohama[19] According to the balance sheet of the financial support group, on July 27 and September 27, 2018, a total of 648,000 was paid to a company in Aioi-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama.