The prime minister of Japan is the country's head of government and the leader of the Cabinet. This is a list of prime ministers of Japan, from when the first Japanese prime minister (in the modern sense), Itō Hirobumi, took office in 1885, until the present day.
32 prime ministers under the Meiji Constitution had a mandate from the Emperor. The "electoral mandates" shown are for the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Imperial Diet, which was not constitutionally guaranteed to have any influence on the appointment of the prime minister.
The prime minister under the Constitution of Japan is designated from among the members of the National Diet, and appointed by the Emperor after being nominated by the National Diet.
The prime ministership of Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni, who was prime minister for fifty-four days in 1945, was the shortest in Japanese history. Shinzo Abe served the longest, with eight years over two non-consecutive periods.
The current prime minister is Shigeru Ishiba, who assumed office on 1 October 2024.[1] There are currently eleven living former prime ministers. The most recent former prime minister to die, Shinzo Abe, was assassinated on 8 July 2022.[2]
- ^ "Ishiba to take office as new Japan PM as parliament gives nod". Kyodo News. 1 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "Shinzo Abe: Japan ex-leader assassinated while giving speech". BBC News. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2024.