World Leaders

List of Prime Ministers of Japan

This list provides an overview of the Prime Ministers of Japan, highlighting the leaders who have shaped the nation's political landscape. From post-war reconstruction to modern-day governance, these figures have played pivotal roles in Japan's history.

68 itemsUpdated Mar 13, 2026

This list presents the Prime Ministers of Japan, covering the nation's political leaders from the Meiji period to the present day. It includes a total of 68 individuals who have held the office of Prime Minister, reflecting Japan's political history and leadership transitions.

#	Name	End Date	Start Date
1	Itō Hirobumi 1st, 5th, 7th and 10th Prime Minister of Japan (1841–1909)	Apr 30, 1888	Dec 22, 1885
2	Kuroda Kiyotaka Japanese general (1840-1900)	Oct 25, 1889	Apr 30, 1888
3	Sanjō Sanetomi Japanese politician (1837-1891)	Dec 24, 1889	Oct 25, 1889
4	Yamagata Aritomo Japanese military leader and statesman (1838–1922)	May 6, 1891	Dec 24, 1889
5	Matsukata Masayoshi Japanese politician (1835-1924)	Aug 8, 1892	May 6, 1891
6	Ōkuma Shigenobu Japanese politician (1838-1922)	Nov 8, 1898	Jun 30, 1898
7	Katsura Tarō Japanese general and politician (1848–1913)	Jan 7, 1906	Jun 2, 1901
8	Saionji Kinmochi Japanese politician (1849-1940)	Jul 14, 1908	Jan 7, 1906
9	Yamamoto Gonnohyōe Prime Minister of Japan (1852-1933)	Apr 16, 1914	Feb 20, 1913
10	Terauchi Masatake Japanese general (1852-1919)	Sep 29, 1918	Oct 9, 1916
11	Hara Takashi Prime Minister of Japan from 1918 to 1921	Nov 4, 1921	Sep 29, 1918
12	Takahashi Korekiyo Japanese politician (1854-1936)	Jun 12, 1922	Nov 13, 1921
13	Katō Tomosaburō Japanese admiral (1861-1923)	Aug 24, 1923	Jun 12, 1922
14	Kiyoura Keigo Japanese politician (1850-1942)	Jun 11, 1924	Jan 7, 1924
15	Katō Takaaki Japanese politician (1860-1926)	Jan 28, 1926	Jun 11, 1924
16	Wakatsuki Reijirō Japanese politician (1866–1949)	Apr 20, 1927	Jan 30, 1926
17	Tanaka Giichi Japanese general (1864-1929)	Jul 2, 1929	Apr 20, 1927
18	Hamaguchi Osachi Japanese politician (1870-1931)	Apr 14, 1931	Jul 2, 1929
19	Inukai Tsuyoshi Japanese politician and Prime Minister of Japan (1855–1932)	May 16, 1932	Dec 13, 1931
20	Saitō Makoto Prime Minister of Japan (1858-1936)	Jul 8, 1934	May 26, 1932
21	Keisuke Okada admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (1868-1952)	Mar 9, 1936	Jul 8, 1934
22	Kōki Hirota Japanese prime minister, diplomat, and war criminal (1878-1948)	Feb 2, 1937	Mar 9, 1936
23	Senjūrō Hayashi Japanese politician and general (1876–1943)	Jun 4, 1937	Feb 2, 1937
24	Fumimaro Konoe politician and former Prime Minister of Japan (1891–1945)	Jan 5, 1939	Jun 4, 1937
25	Hiranuma Kiichirō Japanese politician (1867-1952)	Aug 30, 1939	Jan 5, 1939
26	Nobuyuki Abe general in the Imperial Japanese Army (1875-1953). Dictator of Japan	Jan 16, 1940	Aug 30, 1939
27	Mitsumasa Yonai Prime Minister of Japan (1880-1948)	Jul 22, 1940	Jan 16, 1940
28	Hideki Tojo Japanese general and politician (1884–1948)	Jul 22, 1944	Oct 18, 1941
29	Kuniaki Koiso Japanese officer, former Prime Minister (1880–1950)	Apr 7, 1945	Jul 22, 1944
30	Kantarō Suzuki 29th Prime Minister of Japan (1868-1948)	Aug 17, 1945	Apr 7, 1945
31	Naruhiko Higashikuni Japanese prince (1887-1990)	Oct 9, 1945	Aug 17, 1945
32	Kijūrō Shidehara Japanese politician (1872-1951)	May 22, 1946	Oct 9, 1945
33	Shigeru Yoshida Prime minister of Japan (1878–1967)	May 24, 1947	May 22, 1946
34	Tetsu Katayama Japanese politician (1887-1978)	Mar 10, 1948	May 24, 1947
35	Hitoshi Ashida Japanese politician (1887-1959)	Oct 15, 1948	Mar 10, 1948
36	Ichirō Hatoyama Prime Minister of Japan from 1954 to 1956	Mar 19, 1955	Dec 10, 1954
37	Tanzan Ishibashi Prime Minister of Japan from 1956 to 1957	Feb 25, 1957	Dec 23, 1956
38	Nobusuke Kishi 56th and 57th Prime Minister of Japan (1896–1987)	Jun 12, 1958	Feb 25, 1957
39	Hayato Ikeda Prime Minister of Japan from 1960 to 1964	Dec 8, 1960	Jul 19, 1960
40	Eisaku Satō Prime Minister of Japan from 1964 to 1972	Feb 17, 1967	Nov 9, 1964
41	Kakuei Tanaka Japanese politician (1918–1993)	Dec 22, 1972	Jul 7, 1972
42	Takeo Miki Japanese politician (1907-1988)	Dec 24, 1976	Dec 9, 1974
43	Takeo Fukuda Prime Minister of Japan from 1976 to 1978	Dec 7, 1978	Dec 24, 1976
44	Masayoshi Ōhira Japanese politician (1910-1980)	Nov 9, 1979	Dec 7, 1978
45	Masayoshi Ito Japanese politician (1913-1994)	Jul 17, 1980	Jun 12, 1980
46	Zenkō Suzuki Prime Minister of Japan (1911-2004)	Nov 27, 1982	Jul 17, 1980
47	Yasuhiro Nakasone Japanese politician (1918–2019)	Dec 27, 1983	Nov 27, 1982
48	Noboru Takeshita 74th Prime Minister of Japan (1924-2000)	Jun 3, 1989	Nov 6, 1987
49	Sōsuke Uno 75th Prime Minister of Japan (1922-1998)	Aug 10, 1989	Jun 3, 1989
50	Toshiki Kaifu Japanese politician (1931-2022)	Feb 28, 1990	Aug 10, 1989
51	Kiichi Miyazawa 78th Prime Minister of Japan (1919–2007)	Aug 9, 1993	Nov 5, 1991
52	Morihiro Hosokawa 50th Prime Minister of Japan	Apr 28, 1994	Aug 9, 1993
53	Tsutomu Hata 80th Prime Minister of Japan (1935-2017)	Jun 30, 1994	Apr 28, 1994
54	Tomiichi Murayama 81st Prime Minister of Japan (1924–2025)	Jan 11, 1996	Jun 30, 1994
55	Ryutaro Hashimoto 82nd and 83rd Prime Minister of Japan (1937-2006)	Nov 7, 1996	Jan 11, 1996
56	Keizō Obuchi 84th Prime Minister of Japan (1937–2000)	Apr 5, 2000	Jul 30, 1998
57	Yoshirō Mori Prime Minister of Japan from 2000 to 2001	Jul 4, 2000	Apr 5, 2000
58	Junichiro Koizumi Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006	Nov 19, 2003	Apr 26, 2001
59	Shinzō Abe Prime Minister of Japan from 2006–2007 and 2012–2020 (1954–2022)	Sep 25, 2007	Sep 26, 2006
60	Yasuo Fukuda Prime Minister of Japan from 2007 to 2008	Sep 24, 2008	Sep 26, 2007
61	Tarō Asō Prime Minister of Japan from 2008 to 2009	Sep 16, 2009	Sep 24, 2008
62	Yukio Hatoyama Prime Minister of Japan from 2009 to 2010	Jun 8, 2010	Sep 16, 2009
63	Naoto Kan 94th Prime Minister of Japan	Sep 2, 2011	Jun 8, 2010
64	Yoshihiko Noda Prime Minister of Japan from 2011 to 2012	Dec 26, 2012	Sep 2, 2011
65	Yoshihide Suga Prime Minister of Japan from 2020 to 2021	Oct 4, 2021	Sep 16, 2020
66	Fumio Kishida Prime Minister of Japan from 2021 to 2024	Nov 10, 2021	Oct 4, 2021
67	Shinzo Abe	—	—
68	Taro Aso	—	—