Recent Rulers of Japan
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
| Name | Date rule began | Date rule ended | Born | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamato dynasty | ||||
| Mutsuhito (Meiji-tenno) | Jan. 9, 1867 | July 30, 1912 | 1852 | 1912 |
| Yoshihito (Taisho-tenno) | July 30, 1912 | Nov. 25, 1921 | 1879 | 1926 |
| Prince Hirohito (regent) | Nov. 25, 1921 | Dec. 25, 1926 | 1901 | 1989 |
| Hirohito (Showa-tenno) | Dec. 25, 1926 | Jan. 7, 1989 | 1901 | 1989 |
| Akihito | Jan. 7, 1989 | Apr. 30, 2019 | 1933 | |
| Naruhito | May 1, 2019 | 1960 | ||
| Prime minister | ||||
| Duke Aritomo Yamagata | Nov. 8, 1898 | Oct. 10, 1900 | 1838 | 1922 |
| Duke Hirobumi Ito | Oct. 10, 1900 | June 2, 1901 | 1841 | 1909 |
| Duke Taro Katsura | June 2, 1901 | Jan. 7, 1906 | 1847 | 1913 |
| Duke Kimmochi Saionji | Jan. 7, 1906 | July 14, 1908 | 1850 | 1940 |
| Duke Taro Katsura | July 14, 1908 | Aug. 30. 1911 | ||
| Duke Kimmochi Saionji | Aug. 30, 1911 | Dec. 19, 1912 | ||
| Duke Taro Katsura | Dec. 19, 1912 | Feb. 12, 1913 | ||
| Count Gombei Yamamoto | Feb. 12, 1913 | Apr. 15, 1914 | 1852 | 1933 |
| Duke Shigenobu Okuma | Apr. 15, 1914 | Oct. 9, 1916 | 1838 | 1922 |
| Count Masatake Terauchi | Oct. 9, 1916 | Sept. 29, 1918 | 1849 | 1919 |
| Takashi Hara | Sept. 29, 1918 | Nov. 4, 1921 | 1856 | 1921 |
| Korekiyo Takahashi | Nov. 13, 1921 | June 12, 1922 | 1854 | 1936 |
| Tomosaburo Kato | June 12, 1922 | Aug. 24, 1923 | 1859 | 1923 |
| Yasuya Uchida (acting) | Aug. 26, 1923 | Sept. 12, 1923 | 1865 | 1936 |
| Count Gombei Yamamoto | Sept. 12, 1923 | Jan. 5, 1924 | ||
| Viscount Keigo Kiyoura | Jan. 5, 1924 | June 11, 1924 | 1850 | 1942 |
| Baron Takaaki Kato (from 1925, Count Takaaki Kato) | June 11, 1924 | Jan. 27, 1926 | 1860 | 1926 |
| Reijiro Wakatsuki | Jan. 30, 1926 | Apr. 19, 1927 | 1866 | 1949 |
| Baron Giichi Tanaka | Apr. 19, 1927 | July 2, 1929 | 1863 | 1929 |
| Osachi Hamaguchi | July 2, 1929 | Apr. 14, 1931 | 1870 | 1931 |
| Reijiro Wakatsuki | Apr. 14, 1931 | Dec. 13, 1931 | ||
| Tsuyoshi Inukai | Dec. 13, 1931 | May 16, 1932 | 1855 | 1932 |
| Korekiyo Takahashi (acting) | May 16, 1932 | May 26, 1932 | ||
| Viscount Makoto Saito | May 26, 1932 | July 8, 1934 | 1858 | 1936 |
| Keisuke Okada | July 8, 1934 | March 9, 1936 | 1862 | 1952 |
| Koki Hirota | March 9, 1936 | Feb. 2, 1937 | 1878 | 1948 |
| Senjuro Hayashi | Feb. 2, 1937 | June 2, 1937 | 1876 | 1943 |
| Prince Fumimaro Konoye | June 2, 1937 | Jan. 4, 1939 | 1891 | 1945 |
| Baron Kiichiro Hiranuma | Jan. 4, 1939 | Aug. 29, 1939 | 1865 | 1952 |
| Nobuyuki Abe | Aug. 29, 1939 | Jan. 15, 1940 | 1875 | 1953 |
| Mitsumasa Yonai | Jan. 15, 1940 | July 21, 1940 | 1880 | 1948 |
| Prince Fumimaro Konoe | July 21, 1940 | Oct. 18, 1941 | ||
| Hideki Tojo | Oct. 18, 1941 | July 22, 1944 | 1884 | 1948 |
| Kuniaki Koiso | July 22, 1944 | Apr. 7, 1945 | 1880 | 1950 |
| Baron Kantaro Suzuki | Apr. 7, 1945 | Aug. 16, 1945 | 1867 | 1948 |
| Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni | Aug. 16, 1945 | Oct. 8, 1945 | 1887 | 1990 |
| Baron Kijuro Shidehara | Oct. 8, 1945 | May 20, 1946 | 1872 | 1951 |
| Shigeru Yoshida | May 20, 1946 | May 21, 1947 | 1878 | 1967 |
| Tetsu Katayama | May 21, 1947 | Feb. 23, 1948 | 1887 | 1978 |
| Hitoshi Ashida | Feb. 23, 1948 | Oct. 15, 1948 | 1887 | 1959 |
| Shigeru Yoshida | Oct. 15, 1948 | Dec. 10, 1954 | ||
| Ichiro Hatoyama | Dec. 10, 1954 | Dec. 23, 1956 | 1883 | 1959 |
| Tanzan Ishibashi | Dec. 23, 1956 | Feb. 24, 1957 | 1885 | 1973 |
| Nobusuke Kishi | Feb. 24, 1957 | July 18, 1960 | 1896 | 1987 |
| Hayato Ikeda | July 18, 1960 | Nov. 9, 1964 | 1899 | 1965 |
| Eisaku Sato | Nov. 9, 1964 | July 6, 1972 | 1901 | 1975 |
| Kakuei Tanaka | July 6, 1972 | Dec. 9, 1974 | 1918 | 1993 |
| Takeo Miki | Dec. 9, 1974 | Dec. 24, 1976 | 1907 | 1988 |
| Takeo Fukuda | Dec. 24, 1976 | Dec. 7, 1978 | 1905 | 1995 |
| Masayoshi Ohira | Dec. 7, 1978 | June 12, 1980 | 1910 | 1980 |
| Masayoshi Ito (acting) | June 12, 1980 | July 17, 1980 | 1913 | 1994 |
| Zenko Suzuki | July 17, 1980 | Nov. 26, 1982 | 1911 | |
| Yasuhiro Nakasone | Nov. 26, 1982 | Nov. 6, 1987 | 1918 | |
| Noboru Takeshita | Nov. 6, 1987 | June 2, 1989 | 1924 | |
| Sosuke Uno | June 2, 1989 | Aug. 9, 1989 | 1922 | 1998 |
| Toshiki Kaifu | Aug. 2, 1989 | Nov. 6, 1991 | 1931 | |
| Kiichi Miyazawa | Nov. 6, 1991 | Aug. 9, 1993 | 1919 | |
| Morihiro Hosokawa | Aug. 9. 1993 | Apr. 25, 1994 | 1938 | |
| Tsutomu Hata | Apr. 25, 1994 | June 29, 1994 | 1935 | |
| Tomiichi Murayama | June 29, 1994 | Jan. 11, 1996 | 1924 | |
| Ryutaro Hashimoto | Jan. 11, 1996 | July 30, 1998 | 1937 | |
| Keizo Obuchi | July 30, 1998 | April 5, 2000 | 1937 | 2000 |
| Yoshiro Mori | April 5, 2000 | April 26, 2001 | 1937 | |
| Junichiro Koizumi | April 5, 2001 | Sept. 26, 2006 | 1942 | |
| Shinzo Abe | Sept. 26, 2006 | Sept. 26, 2007 | 1954 | |
| Yasuo Fukuda | Sept. 26, 2007 | Sept. 24, 2008 | 1936 | |
| Taro Aso | Sept. 24, 2008 | Sept. 16, 2009 | 1940 | |
| Yukio Hatoyama | Sept. 16, 2009 | June 8, 2010 | 1947 | |
| Naoto Kan | June 8, 2010 | Sept. 2, 2011 | 1946 | |
| Yoshihiko Noda | Sept. 2, 2011 | Dec. 26, 2012 | 1957 | |
| Shinzo Abe | Dec. 26, 2012 | Sept. 16, 2020 | 1954 | 2022 |
| Yoshihide Suga | Sept. 16, 2020 | Oct. 4, 2021 | 1948 | |
| Fumio Kishida | Oct. 4, 2021 | 1957 |
