The minister for foreign affairs (外務大臣, Gaimu Daijin) is a member of the cabinet of Japan and is the leader and chief executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The minister is responsible for implementing Japan's foreign policy and is also a statutory member of the National Security Council. The minister is nominated by the prime minister and is appointed by the emperor of Japan.
Since the end of the allied occupation of Japan, the position has been one of the most powerful in the cabinet, as Japan's economic interests have long relied on foreign relations. The recent efforts of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe to establish a more interventionist foreign policy have also heightened the importance of the position.
The current minister for foreign affairs is Takeshi Iwaya, who took office on October 1, 2024.[1]
List of ministers for foreign affairs
- Italics indicates subject served as Acting Foreign Minister.
- Bold indicates subject served concurrently as Prime Minister for a period of time.
Empire of Japan (1885–1945)
Postwar Japan (1945–present)
Liberal (1945)
Imperial Family
Progressive
Socialist
Democratic (1947)
Democratic Liberal
Liberal (1950)
Democratic (1954)
Liberal Democratic
Japan Renewal Party
Japan New Party
Liberal League
Democratic
| Foreign Minister
|
Term of office
|
Prime Minister
|
| #
|
Portrait
|
Name
|
Took office
|
Left office
|
Days
|
| 43
|
|
File:Shigeru Yoshida smiling2.jpg
|
Shigeru Yoshida
|
September 15, 1945
|
May 24, 1947
|
616
|
|
Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni
|
|
|
Kijūrō Shidehara
|
|
|
Shigeru Yoshida
|
| -
|
|
File:Tetsu Katayama.jpg
|
Tetsu Katayama
|
May 24, 1947
|
June 1, 1947
|
8
|
|
Tetsu Katayama
|
| 44
|
|
File:Hitoshi Ashida.jpg
|
Hitoshi Ashida
|
June 1, 1947
|
October 15, 1948
|
502
|
|
|
Hitoshi Ashida
|
| (43)
|
|
File:Shigeru Yoshida smiling2.jpg
|
Shigeru Yoshida
|
October 15, 1948
|
April 30, 1952
|
1293
|
|
Shigeru Yoshida
|
|
|
|
| 45
|
|
File:Katsuo Okazaki.jpg
|
Katsuo Okazaki
|
April 30, 1952
|
December 10, 1954
|
954
|
| (40)
|
|
File:Shigemitsu Mamoru.jpg
|
Mamoru Shigemitsu
|
December 10, 1954
|
November 22, 1955
|
744
|
|
Ichirō Hatoyama
|
|
|
November 22, 1955
|
December 23, 1956
|
|
| -
|
|
File:TANZAN ISHIBASHI.jpg
|
Tanzan Ishibashi
|
December 23, 1956
|
December 23, 1956
|
0
|
|
Tanzan Ishibashi
|
| 46
|
|
File:Nobusuke Kishi Dec 14, 1956.jpg
|
Nobusuke Kishi
|
December 23, 1956
|
July 10, 1957
|
199
|
|
|
Nobusuke Kishi
|
| 47
|
|
File:Aiichiro Fujiyama.jpg
|
Aiichirō Fujiyama
|
July 10, 1957
|
July 19, 1960
|
1105
|
| 48
|
|
File:Zentaro Kosaka.jpg
|
Zentaro Kosaka
|
July 19, 1960
|
July 18, 1962
|
729
|
|
Hayato Ikeda
|
| 49
|
|
File:Masayoshi Ohira 19790120.jpg
|
Masayoshi Ōhira
|
July 18, 1962
|
July 18, 1964
|
731
|
| 50
|
|
File:Etsuzaburo Shiina.jpg
|
Shiina Etsusaburo
|
July 18, 1964
|
December 3, 1966
|
868
|
|
|
Eisaku Satō
|
| 51
|
|
File:Takeo Miki-2-1.jpg
|
Takeo Miki
|
December 3, 1966
|
October 29, 1968
|
696
|
| -
|
|
File:Eisaku Sato 1960.jpg
|
Eisaku Satō
|
October 29, 1968
|
November 30, 1968
|
32
|
| 52
|
|
File:Kiichi Aichi.jpg
|
Kiichi Aichi
|
November 30, 1968
|
July 9, 1971
|
951
|
| 53
|
|
File:Takeo Fukuda 19761224.jpg
|
Takeo Fukuda
|
July 9, 1971
|
July 7, 1972
|
364
|
| (49)
|
|
File:Masayoshi Ohira 19790120.jpg
|
Masayoshi Ōhira
|
July 7, 1972
|
July 16, 1974
|
739
|
|
Kakuei Tanaka
|
| 54
|
|
File:Toshio Kimura.jpg
|
Toshio Kimura
|
July 16, 1974
|
December 9, 1974
|
146
|
| 55
|
|
File:Kiichi Miyazawa 19911105.jpg
|
Kiichi Miyazawa
|
December 9, 1974
|
September 5, 1976
|
646
|
|
Takeo Miki
|
| (48)
|
|
File:Zentaro Kosaka.jpg
|
Zentaro Kosaka
|
September 5, 1976
|
December 24, 1976
|
100
|
| 56
|
|
File:Iichirō Hatoyama (1953).jpg
|
Iichirō Hatoyama
|
December 24, 1976
|
November 28, 1977
|
339
|
|
Takeo Fukuda
|
| 57
|
|
File:Sunao Sonoda, Jul. 1979 (3).jpg
|
Sunao Sonoda
|
November 28, 1977
|
November 8, 1979
|
710
|
|
|
Masayoshi Ōhira
|
| 58
|
|
File:Saburo Okita at 6th G7 summit.jpg
|
Saburō Ōkita
|
November 8, 1979
|
July 17, 1980
|
252
|
| 59
|
|
File:Masayoshi Ito.jpg
|
Masayoshi Ito
|
July 17, 1980
|
May 18, 1981
|
305
|
|
Zenkō Suzuki
|
| (57)
|
|
File:Sunao Sonoda, Jul. 1979 (3).jpg
|
Sunao Sonoda
|
May 18, 1981
|
November 30, 1981
|
196
|
| 60
|
|
File:Yoshio Sakurauchi 1982.jpg
|
Yoshio Sakurauchi
|
November 30, 1981
|
November 27, 1982
|
362
|
| 61
|
|
File:Shintarō Abe in 1956 (cropped).jpg
|
Shintaro Abe
|
November 27, 1982
|
July 22, 1986
|
1333
|
|
Yasuhiro Nakasone
|
| 62
|
|
File:Tadashi Kuranari 19861211 (cropped).jpg
|
Tadashi Kuranari
|
July 22, 1986
|
November 6, 1987
|
472
|
| 63
|
|
File:Sosuke Uno 1977.png
|
Sosuke Uno
|
November 6, 1987
|
June 3, 1989
|
575
|
|
Noboru Takeshita
|
| 64
|
|
File:Hiroshi Mitsuzuka.jpg
|
Hiroshi Mitsuzuka
|
June 3, 1989
|
August 10, 1989
|
68
|
|
Sosuke Uno
|
| 65
|
|
File:Taro Nakayama 199103.jpg
|
Taro Nakayama
|
August 10, 1989
|
November 5, 1991
|
817
|
|
Toshiki Kaifu
|
| 66
|
|
File:Michio Watanabe 1993.jpg
|
Michio Watanabe
|
November 5, 1991
|
April 7, 1993
|
519
|
|
Kiichi Miyazawa
|
| 67
|
|
File:Kabun Muto.jpg
|
Kabun Mutō
|
April 7, 1993
|
August 9, 1993
|
124
|
| 68
|
|
File:Tsutomu Hata cropped Tsutomu Hata 199404.jpg
|
Tsutomu Hata
|
August 9, 1993
|
April 28, 1994
|
262
|
|
Morihiro Hosokawa
|
| 69
|
|
File:Koji Kakizawa.jpg
|
Koji Kakizawa
|
April 28, 1994
|
June 30, 1994
|
63
|
|
Tsutomu Hata
|
| 70
|
|
File:Yōhei Kōno.jpg
|
Yōhei Kōno
|
June 30, 1994
|
January 11, 1996
|
560
|
|
Tomiichi Murayama
|
| 71
|
|
File:Yukihiko Ikeda.png
|
Yukihiko Ikeda
|
January 11, 1996
|
September 11, 1997
|
609
|
|
Ryutaro Hashimoto
|
| 72
|
|
File:Keizo Obuchi cropped.jpg
|
Keizo Obuchi
|
September 11, 1997
|
July 30, 1998
|
322
|
| 73
|
|
File:Komura Masahiko 1-3.jpg
|
Masahiko Kōmura
|
July 30, 1998
|
October 5, 1999
|
432
|
|
Keizo Obuchi
|
| (70)
|
|
File:Yōhei Kōno.jpg
|
Yōhei Kōno
|
October 5, 1999
|
April 26, 2001
|
569
|
|
|
Yoshiro Mori
|
| 74
|
|
File:Makiko Tanaka in Hawaii cropped.jpg
|
Makiko Tanaka
|
April 26, 2001
|
January 29, 2002
|
278
|
|
Junichiro Koizumi
|
| 75
|
|
File:Koizumi 2010 cropped.png
|
Junichiro Koizumi
(Acting)
|
January 29, 2002
|
February 1, 2002
|
3
|
| 76
|
|
File:Yoriko Kawaguchi cropped.jpg
|
Yoriko Kawaguchi
|
February 1, 2002
|
September 27, 2004
|
969
|
| 77
|
|
File:Machimura Nobutaka 1-2.jpg
|
Nobutaka Machimura
|
September 27, 2004
|
October 31, 2005
|
399
|
| 78
|
|
File:Taro Aso cropped.jpg
|
Tarō Asō
|
October 31, 2005
|
August 27, 2007
|
665
|
|
|
Shinzō Abe
|
| (77)
|
|
File:Machimura Nobutaka 1-2.jpg
|
Nobutaka Machimura
|
August 27, 2007
|
September 26, 2007
|
30
|
| (73)
|
|
File:Komura Masahiko 1-3.jpg
|
Masahiko Kōmura
|
September 26, 2007
|
September 24, 2008
|
364
|
|
Yasuo Fukuda
|
| 79
|
|
File:Hirofumi Nakasone.jpg
|
Hirofumi Nakasone
|
September 24, 2008
|
September 16, 2009
|
357
|
|
Tarō Asō
|
| 80
|
|
File:Katsuya Okada on March 29, 2010.jpg
|
Katsuya Okada
|
September 16, 2009
|
September 17, 2010
|
366
|
|
Yukio Hatoyama
|
|
|
Naoto Kan
|
| 81
|
|
File:Maehara Crop.jpg
|
Seiji Maehara
|
September 17, 2010
|
March 7, 2011
|
171
|
| –
|
|
File:Edano Yukio 1-3.jpg
|
Yukio Edano
(Acting)
|
March 7, 2011
|
March 9, 2011
|
2
|
| 82
|
|
File:Takeaki Matsumoto cropped 1 Takeaki Matsumoto and Hillary Rodham Clinton 20110429.jpg
|
Takeaki Matsumoto
|
March 9, 2011
|
September 2, 2011
|
177
|
| 83
|
|
File:Koichiro Gemba cropped Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan (8097974826).jpg
|
Kōichirō Genba
|
September 2, 2011
|
December 26, 2012
|
481
|
|
Yoshihiko Noda
|
| 84
|
|
File:Fumio Kishida 20160202 (cropped).jpg
|
Fumio Kishida
|
December 26, 2012
|
August 3, 2017
|
1681
|
|
Shinzō Abe
|
| 85
|
|
File:Tarō Kōno 20110307.jpg
|
Taro Kono
|
August 3, 2017
|
September 11, 2019
|
769
|
|
| 86
|
|
File:Toshimitsu Motegi 20200916.jpg
|
Toshimitsu Motegi
|
September 11, 2019
|
November 4, 2021
|
785
|
|
|
Yoshihide Suga
|
| (84)
|
|
File:Fumio Kishida 20211005 (cropped).jpg
|
Fumio Kishida
(Acting)
|
November 4, 2021
|
November 10, 2021
|
6
|
|
Fumio Kishida
|
| 87
|
|
File:Yoshimasa Hayashi 20211118 (cropped).jpg
|
Yoshimasa Hayashi
|
November 10, 2021
|
September 13, 2023
|
672
|
|
| 88
|
|
File:Yoko Kamikawa 20230913 (cropped).jpg
|
Yōko Kamikawa
|
September 13, 2023
|
October 1, 2024
|
384
|
|
| 89
|
|
File:Takeshi Iwaya 20241003 (cropped).jpg
|
Takeshi Iwaya
|
October 1, 2024
|
Incumbent
|
106
|
|
Shigeru Ishiba
|
See also
Notes
- ↑ Appointed as Prime Minister during the tenure.
References
External links
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