List of Japan's Prime Ministers from 1885 to 2024

Japan’s political leadership has seen various transitions from the Meiji era to the present day. The role of the Prime Minister has been crucial in shaping the nation’s domestic policies and international relations. This list explores the Prime Ministers who have led Japan from the establishment of the office in 1885 up until 2024.

An Overview of Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia, located in the Pacific Ocean and bordered by the Sea of Japan. It comprises four main islands—Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu—and many smaller ones, covering 377,975 km². With nearly 124 million people in 2024, Japan’s capital, Tokyo, is the world’s largest metropolitan area. Its mountainous terrain, located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, makes it prone to earthquakes and tsunamis.

List of Prime Ministers of Japan from 1885 to 2024

The list of Prime Ministers of Japan from 1885 to 2024 includes leaders who have played significant roles in shaping the country’s political landscape. Japan’s prime ministers have overseen various historical events, from the Meiji Restoration through World War II to the modern era of global diplomacy and economic development.

Here is the list of Prime Ministers of Japan from 1885 to 2024:

Prime Ministers of Japan from 1885 to 2024
Name	Tenure
Name	From	To
ITO Hirobumi	December 22, 1885	April 30, 1888
Kuroda Kiyotaka	April 30, 1888	October 25, 1889
Yamagata Aritomo	December 24, 1889	May 6, 1891
Matsukata Masayoshi	May 6, 1891	August 8, 1892
ITO Hirobumi	August 8, 1892	August 31, 1896
Matsukata Masayoshi	September 18, 1896	January 12, 1898
ITO Hirobumi	January 12, 1898	June 30, 1898
Okuma Shigenobu	June 30, 1898	November 8, 1898
Yamagata Aritomo	November 8, 1898	October 19,1900
ITO Hirobumi	October 19, 1900	May 10, 1901
Katsura Taro	June 2, 1901	January 7, 1906
SaionJi Kinmochi	January 7, 1906	July 14, 1908
Katsura Taro	July 14, 1908	August 30, 1911
SaionJi Kinmochi	August 30, 1911	December 21, 1912
Katsura Taro	December 21, 1912	February 20, 1913
Yamamoto Gonbe	February 20, 1913	April 16, 1914
Okuma Shingenobu	April 16, 1914	October 9, 1916
Terauchi Masatake	October 9, 1916	September 29, 1918
Hara Takashi	September 29, 1918	November 4, 1921
Takahashi Korekiyo	November 13, 1921	June 12, 1922
Kato Tomosaburo	June 12, 1922	August 24, 1923
Yamamoto Gonbe	September 2, 1923	January 7, 1924
Kiyoura Keigo	January 7, 1924	June 11, 1924
Kato Takaaki	June 11, 1924	January 28, 1926
Wakatsuki Reijiro	January 30, 1926	April 20, 1927
Tanaka Giichi	April 20, 1927	July 2, 1929
Hamaguchi Osachi	July 2, 1929	April 14, 1931
Wakatsuki Reijiro	April 14, 1931	December 13, 1931
Inukai Tsuyoshi	December 13, 1931	May 16, 1932
Saito Makoto	May 26, 1932	July 8, 1934
Okada Keisuke	July 8, 1934	March 9, 1936
Hirota Koki	March 9, 1936	February 2, 1937
Hayashi Senjuro	February 2, 1937	June 4, 1937
Konoe Fumimaro	June 4, 1937	January 5, 1939
Hiranuma Kiichiro	January 5, 1939	August 30, 1939
Abe Nobuyuki	August 30, 1939	January 16, 1940
Yonai Mitsumasa	January 16, 1940	July 22, 1940
Konoe Fumimaro	July 22, 1940	July 18, 1941
Konoe Fumimaro	July 18, 1941	October 18, 1941
Tojo Hideki	October 18, 1941	July 18, 1944
Koiso Kuniaki	July 22, 1944	April 7, 1945
Suzuki Kantaro	April 7, 1945	August 17, 1945
Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko	August 17, 1945	October 9, 1945
Shidehara Kijyuro	October 9, 1945	May 22, 1946
Yoshida Shigeru	May 22, 1946	May 24, 1947
Katamaya Testu	May 24, 1947	March 10, 1948
Ashida Hitoshi	May 10, 1948	October 15, 1948
Yoshida Shigeru	October 15, 1948	February 16, 1949
Yoshida Shigeru	February 16, 1949	October 30, 1952
Yoshida Shigeru	October 30, 1952	May 21, 1953
Yoshida Shigeru	May 21, 1953	December 10, 1954
Hatomaya Ichiro	December 10, 1954	March 19, 1955
Hatomaya Ichiro	March 19, 1955	November 22, 1955
Hatomaya Ichiro	November 22, 1955	December 23, 1956
Ishibashi Tanzan	December 23, 1956	February 25, 1957
Kishi Nobusuke	February 25, 1957	June 12, 1958
Kishi Nobusuke	June 12, 1958	July 19, 1960
Ikeda Hayato	July 19, 1960	December 8, 1960
Ikeda Hayato	December 8, 1960	December 9, 1963
Ikeda Hayato	December 9, 1963	November 9, 1964
Sato Eisaku	November 9, 1964	February 17, 1967
Sato Eisaku	February 17, 1967	January 14, 1970
Sato Eisaku	January 14, 1970	July 7, 1972
Tanaka Kakuei	July 7, 1972	December 22, 1972
Tanaka Kakuei	December 22, 1972	December 9, 1974
Miki Takeo	December 9, 1974	December 24, 1976
Fukuda Takeo	December 24, 1976	December 7, 1978
Ohira Masayoshi	December 7, 1978	November 9, 1979
Ohira Masayoshi	November 9, 1979	June 12, 1980
Suzuki Zenko	July 17, 1980	November 27, 1982
Nakasone Yasuhiro	November 27, 1982	December 27, 1983
Nakasone Yashiro	December 27, 1983	July 22, 1986
Nakasone Yashiro	July 22, 1986	November 6, 1987
Takeshita Noboru	November 6, 1987	June 3, 1989
Uno Sousuke	June 3, 1989	August 10, 1989
Faifu Toshiki	August 10, 1989	February 28, 1990
Faifu Toshiki	February 28, 1990	November 5, 1991
Miyazawa Kiichi	November 5, 1991	August 9, 1993
Hosokawa Morihiro	August 9, 1993	April 28, 1994
Hata Tsutomu	April 28, 1994	June 30, 1994
Murayama Tomiichi	June 30, 1994	January 11, 1996
Hashimoto Ryutaro	January 11, 1996	November 7, 1996
Hashimoto Ryutaro	November 7, 1996	July 30, 1998
Obuchi Keizo	July 30, 1998	April 5, 2000
Mori Yoshiro	April 5, 2000	July 4, 2000
Mori Yoshiro	July 4, 2000	April 26, 2001
Koizumi Junichiro	April 26, 2001	November 19, 2003
Koizumi Junichiro	November 19, 2003	September 21, 2005
	September 21, 2005	September 26, 2006
Abe Shinzo	September 26, 2006	September 26, 2007
Fukudo Yasuo	September 26, 2007	September 24, 2008
Aso Taro	September 24, 2008	September 16, 2009
Hatoyama Yukio	September 16, 2009	June 8, 2010
Kan Naoto	June 8, 2010	September 2, 2011
Noda Yoshiko	September 2, 2011	December 26, 2012
Abe Shinzo	December 26, 2012	December 24, 2014
Abe Shinzo	December 24, 2014	November 1, 2017
Abe Shinzo	November 1, 2017	September 16, 2020
Suga Yoshihide	September 16, 2020	October 4, 2021
Kishida Fumio	October 4, 2021	November 10, 2021
Shigeru Ishiba	October 1, 2024	–