Prime Minister of Japan

Prime Minister of Japan
日本国内閣総理大臣
Prime Minister of Japan; 日本国内閣総理大臣
	The Seal & Standard of the Prime Minister of Japan
	Incumbent; Sanae Takaichi; since 21 October 2025
	Executive Branch of the Japanese Government; Office of the Prime Minister
Style	Her Excellency (formal)
Status	Head of Government
Abbreviation	PMOJ
Member of	Cabinet; National Security Council; National Diet
Residence	Kantei
Seat	Tokyo, Japan
Nominator	National Diet
Appointer	The Emperor; (Naruhito; since 1 May 2019); The monarch invites the designated prime minister confirmed by the Diet to form a government
Term length	Four years or fewer, renewable indefinitely.
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Japan
Precursor	Shogun of Japan
Inaugural holder	Itō Hirobumi
Formation	22 December 1885; (140 years, 9 months ago)
Deputy	Deputy Prime Minister of Japan
Salary	¥ 40,490,000 ($377,180) annually
Website	www.kantei.go.jp

The prime minister of Japan (日本国内閣総理大臣, Naikaku sōri daijin) is the head of the government of Japan as well as the director and chief of the executive branch of the central government. The prime minister appoints the cabinet and wields the power to dismiss any cabinet minister.

The current prime minister is Sanae Takaichi since 21 October 2025.

Background

The longest-serving prime minister was Shinzo Abe, who served over eight years across two non-consecutive terms, and the shortest-serving was Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni, who served fifty-four days. Abe was also the youngest person to become prime minister at aged 52. Kantarō Suzuki is the oldest person to become prime minister at the age of 77. In 2025, Sanae Takaichi became the first female prime minister.

List of prime ministers

Living former prime ministers

Number	Name	Tenure	Date of birth	Age
1	Yasuo Fukuda	2007–2008	(1936-07-16)16 July 1936	90 years, 82 days
2	Yoshirō Mori	2000–2001	(1937-07-14)14 July 1937	89 years, 84 days
3	Morihiro Hosokawa	1993–1994	(1938-01-14)14 January 1938	88 years, 265 days
4	Tarō Asō	2008–2009	(1940-09-20)20 September 1940	86 years, 16 days
5	Junichiro Koizumi	2001–2006	(1942-01-08)8 January 1942	84 years, 271 days
6	Naoto Kan	2010–2011	(1946-10-10)10 October 1946	79 years, 361 days
7	Yukio Hatoyama	2009–2010	(1947-02-11)11 February 1947	79 years, 237 days
8	Yoshihide Suga	2020–2021	(1948-12-06)6 December 1948	77 years, 304 days
9	Shigeru Ishiba	2024–2025	(1957-02-04)4 February 1957	69 years, 244 days
10	Yoshihiko Noda	2011–2012	(1957-05-20)20 May 1957	69 years, 139 days
11	Fumio Kishida	2021–2024	(1957-07-29)29 July 1957	69 years, 69 days

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Travel

References

↑ "IG.com Pay Check". IG. Archived from the original on 2018-04-25. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
↑ Updated daily according to UTC.

Notes

↑ The Cabinet shall resign en masse after a general election of members of the House of Representatives. Their term of office is four years which can be terminated earlier. No limits are imposed on the number of terms or tenures the Prime Minister may hold. The Prime Minister is, by convention, the leader of the victorious party, though some prime ministers have been elected from junior coalition partners or minority parties.

Other websites

Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet Official website

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[igcompaycheck-2] "IG.com Pay Check". IG. Archived from the original on 2018-04-25. Retrieved 2021-08-25.

[3] Updated daily according to UTC.

[1] The Cabinet shall resign en masse after a general election of members of the House of Representatives. Their term of office is four years which can be terminated earlier. No limits are imposed on the number of terms or tenures the Prime Minister may hold. The Prime Minister is, by convention, the leader of the victorious party, though some prime ministers have been elected from junior coalition partners or minority parties.

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