Political Leaders: Japan

Leaders of Japan
(State of Japan)

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Look for biographies of the leaders (in Spanish) at CIDOB website.

Parties: Jiminto: Liberal Democratic Party (1955-) Jiyuto: Liberal Party (1945-1955 > Jiminto) Minshuto: Democratic Party of Japan (1996/1998-) Nihon Minshuto: Japan Democratic Party (1947-1952/1954-1955 > Jiminto) Nihon Shakaito: Japan Socialist Party (1945-1996 > Shakai Minshuto or Social Democratic Party) Nihon Shinto: Japan New Party (1992-1994) Shinseito: Japan Renewal Party (1993-1994) n/p: non-party

Emperors (Tenno)

Hirohito Michi-no-miya 
 (Showa-tenno)        25 Dec 1926 -  7 Jan 1989 (+)    
Akihito Tsugu-no-miya  7 Jan 1989 -

Akihito's posthumous name will be Heisei-tenno

Prime Ministers

Kantaro Suzuki         7 Apr 1945 - 16 Aug 1945 (+1948)  military
Naruhito Kigashi-Kuni 16 Aug 1945 -  8 Oct 1945 (+1990)  military
Kijuro Shidehara       8 Oct 1945 - 20 May 1946 (+1951)  n/p
Shigeru Yoshida       20 May 1946 - 21 May 1947 (+1967)  Jiyuto
Tetsu Katayama        21 May 1947 - 23 Feb 1948 (+1978)  Nihon Shakaito
Hitoshi Ashida        23 Feb 1948 - 15 Oct 1948 (+1959)  Nihon Minshuto
Shigeru Yoshida       15 Oct 1948 - 10 Dec 1954 (+1967)  Jiyuto
Ichiro Hatoyama       10 Dec 1954 - 23 Dec 1956 (+1959)  Nihon Minshuto, Jiminto
Tanzan Ishibashi      23 Dec 1956 - 24 Feb 1957 (+1973)  Jiminto
Nobusuke Kishi        24 Feb 1957 - 18 Jul 1960 (+1987)  Jiminto
Hayato Ikeda          18 Jul 1960 -  9 Nov 1964 (+1965)  Jiminto
Eisaku Sato            9 Nov 1964 -  6 Jul 1972 (+1975)  Jiminto
Kakuei Tanaka          6 Jul 1972 -  9 Dec 1974 (+1993)  Jiminto
Takeo Miki             9 Dec 1974 - 24 Dec 1976 (+1988)  Jiminto
Takeo Fukuda          24 Dec 1976 -  7 Dec 1978 (+1995)  Jiminto
Masayoshi Ohira        7 Dec 1978 - 12 Jun 1980 (+)      Jiminto
Masayoshi Ito         12 Jun 1980 - 17 Jul 1980 (+1994)  Jiminto (acting)
Zenko Suzuki          17 Jul 1980 - 26 Nov 1982 (+2004)  Jiminto
Yasuhiro Nakasone     26 Nov 1982 -  6 Nov 1987          Jiminto
Noboru Takeshita       6 Nov 1987 -  2 Jun 1989 (+2000)  Jiminto
Sosuke Uno             2 Jun 1989 -  9 Aug 1989 (+1998)  Jiminto
Toshiki Kaifu          9 Aug 1989 -  6 Nov 1991          Jiminto
Kiichi Miyazawa        6 Nov 1991 -  9 Aug 1993 (+2007)  Jiminto
Morihiro Hosokawa      9 Aug 1993 - 25 Apr 1994          Nihon Shinto
Tsutomu Hata          25 Apr 1994 - 29 Jun 1994          Shinseito
Tomiichi Murayama     29 Jun 1994 - 11 Jan 1996          Nihon Shakaito
Ryutaro Hashimoto     11 Jan 1996 - 30 Jul 1998 (+2006)  Jiminto
Keizo Obuchi          30 Jul 1998 -  3 Apr 2000 (+2000)  Jiminto
Michio Aoki            3 Apr 2000 -  5 Apr 2000          Jiminto (acting) 
Yoshiro Mori           5 Apr 2000 - 26 Apr 2001          Jiminto
Junichiro Koizumi     26 Apr 2001 - 26 Sep 2006          Jiminto
Shinzo Abe            26 Sep 2006 - 26 Sep 2007          Jiminto
Yasuo Fukuda          26 Sep 2007 - 24 Sep 2008          Jiminto
Taro Aso              24 Sep 2008 - 16 Sep 2009          Jiminto
Yukio Hatoyama        16 Sep 2009 -                      Minshuto

Ministers of Foreign Affairs

Kantaro Suzuki       1945      (+1948) military
Shigenori Togo       1945      (+1950) n/p
Mamoru Shigemitsu    1945      (+1957) n/p
Shigeru Yoshida      1945-1947 (+1967) Jiyuto
Hitoshi Ashida       1947-1948 (+1959) Nihon Minshuto
Shigeru Yoshida      1948-1954 (+1967) Jiyuto
Mamoru Shigemitsu    1954-1956 (+1957) Jiminto
Nobusuke Kishi       1956-1957 (+1987) Jiminto
Aiichiro Fujiyama    1957-1960 (+1985) Jiminto
Zentaro Kosaka       1960-1962 (+2000) Jiminto
Masayoshi Ohira      1962-1964 (+1980) Jiminto
Etsusaburo Shiina    1964-1966 (+1979) Jiminto
Takeo Miki           1966-1968 (+1988) Jiminto
Kiichi Aichi         1968-1971 (+1973) Jiminto
Takeo Fukuda         1971-1972 (+1995) Jiminto
Masayoshi Ohira      1972-1974 (+1980) Jiminto
Toshio Kimura        1974      (+1983) Jiminto    
Kiichi Miyazawa      1974-1976 (+2007) Jiminto
Zentaro Kosaka       1976      (+2000) Jiminto
Iichiro Hatoyama     1976-1977 (+1993) Jiminto
Sunao Sonoda         1977-1979 (+1984) Jiminto
Saburo Okita         1979-1980 (+1993) Jiminto
Masayoshi Ito        1980-1981 (+1994) Jiminto
Sunao Sonoda         1981      (+1984) Jiminto
Yoshio Sakurauchi    1981-1982 (+2003) Jiminto
Shintaro Abe         1982-1986 (+1991) Jiminto
Tadashi Kuranari     1986-1987 (+1996) Jiminto
Sosuke Uno           1987-1989 (+1998) Jiminto
Hiroshi Mitsuzuka    1989      (+2004) Jiminto
Taro Nakayama        1989-1991         Jiminto 
Michio Watanabe      1991-1993 (+1995) Jiminto
Kabun Muto           1993      (+2009) Jiminto 
Tsutomu Hata         1993-1994         Shinseito
Koji Kakizawa        1994              Jiminto
Yohei Kono           1994-1996         Jiminto
Yukihiko Ikeda       1996-1997 (+2004) Jiminto
Keizo Obuchi         1997-1998 (+2000) Jiminto
Masahiko Komura      1998-1999         Jiminto
Yohei Kono           1999-2001         Jiminto
Makiko Tanaka        2001-2002         Jiminto
Junichiro Koizumi    2002              Jiminto
Yoriko Kawaguchi     2002-2004         Jiminto 
Nobutaka Machimura   2004-2005         Jiminto
Taro Aso             2005-2007         Jiminto
Nobutaka Machimura   2007              Jiminto 
Masahiko Komura      2007-2008         Jiminto
Hirofumi Nakasone    2008-2009         Jiminto
Katsuya Okada        2009-             Minshuto

(Source: Rulers)

Presidents of the LDP (Jiminto)

Ichiro Hatoyama      1955-1956 (+1959) 
Tanzan Ishibashi     1956-1957 (+1973) 
Nobusuke Kishi       1957-1960 (+1987) 
Hayato Ikeda         1960-1964 (+1965)
Eisaku Sato          1964-1972 (+1975)
Kakuei Tanaka        1972-1974 (+1993)  
Takeo Miki           1974-1976 (+1988) 
Takeo Fukuda         1976-1978 (+1995)
Masayoshi Ohira      1978-1980 (+)     
Zenko Suzuki         1980-1982 (+2004) 
Yasuhiro Nakasone    1982-1987         
Noboru Takeshita     1987-1989 (+2000) 
Sosuke Uno           1989      (+1998) 
Toshiki Kaifu        1989-1991         
Kiichi Miyazawa      1991-1993 (+2007)        
Yohei Kono           1993-1995         
Ryutaro Hashimoto    1995-1998 (+2006) 
Keizo Obuchi         1998-2000 (+2000) 
Yoshiro Mori         2000-2001         
Junichiro Koizumi    2001-2006
Shinzo Abe           2006-2007
Yasuo Fukuda         2007-2008
Taro Aso             2008-2009
Sadakazu Tanigaki    2009-

The Liberal Democratic Party was founded on 15 Nov 1955 as the merger of the Liberal Party (Jiyuto, founded in Aug 1945) and the Japan Democratic Party (Nihon Minshuto, founded in Mar 1947, disbanded in Feb 1952 and reborn in Nov 1954 as the development of the previously founded Reform Party or Kaishinto).

Presidents of the DPJ (Minshuto)

Naoto Kan            1998-1999        
Yukio Hatoyama       1999-2002         
Naoto Kan            2002-2004         
Katsuya Okada        2004-2005        
Seiji Maehara        2005-2006         
Ichiro Ozawa         2006-2009
Yukio Hatoyama       2009-

The Minshuto was formed on 27 Apr 1998 as a merger of four parties: a previous party also called Minshuto (f. 28 Sep 1996), the Good Governance Party (Minseito, f. 23 Jan 1998), the New Fraternity Party (Shinto Yuai, f. Jan 1998) and the Democratic Reform League (Minshu-Kaikaku-Rengo, f. Jan 1998).

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