Cabinet of Japan
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Native name | 内閣 |
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Romanized name | Naikaku |
Founded | 22 December 1885 |
Headquarters | Japan |
Key people | Fumio Kishida (Prime Minister) Naruhito (Emperor) |
Owner | Government of Japan |
The Cabinet of Japan (Japanese: 内閣, Hepburn: Naikaku) is the chief executive body of the government of Japan. It consists of the prime minister, who is appointed by the emperor after being designated by the National Diet, and up to nineteen other members, called Ministers of State. The prime minister is designated by the Diet, and the remaining ministers are appointed and dismissed by the prime minister. The Cabinet is collectively responsible to the Diet and must resign if a motion of no confidence is adopted by the Diet.
Appointment[edit]
Under the constitution, Cabinet ministers are appointed after the selection of the prime minister. A majority of the Cabinet, including the prime minister, must be members of the Diet, and all members must be civilians. Under the Cabinet Law, the number of Cabinet Ministers (excluding the prime minister) must be fourteen or less, but this may be increased to nineteen if a special need arises. If the Cabinet collectively resigns, it continues to exercise its functions until the appointment of a new prime minister. While they are in office, legal action may not be taken against Cabinet ministers without the consent of the prime minister. The Cabinet must resign en masse in the following circumstances:
- When a motion of no confidence is adopted, or a vote of confidence defeated, by the House of Representatives, unless there is a dissolution of the house within ten days.
- Upon the first convocation of the Diet after a general election to the House of Representatives (even if the same prime minister is to be re-elected and appointed, and every other minister is to be reappointed).
- When the position of prime minister becomes vacant, or the prime minister declares his intention to resign.
Powers[edit]
The Cabinet exercises two kinds of power. Some of its powers are nominally exercised by the emperor with the binding "advice and approval" of the Cabinet. Other powers are explicitly vested in the Cabinet. Contrary to the practice in many constitutional monarchies, the emperor is not even the nominal chief executive. Instead, the Constitution explicitly vests executive authority in the Cabinet. Hence, nearly all of the day-to-day work of governing is done by the Cabinet.
In practice, much of the Cabinet's authority is exercised by the prime minister. Under the Constitution, the prime minister exercises "control and supervision" over the executive branch, and no law or Cabinet order can take effect without the prime minister's countersignature (and the emperor's promulgation). While Cabinet Ministers in most other parliamentary democracies theoretically have some freedom of action (within the limits of cabinet collective responsibility), the Japanese Cabinet is effectively an extension of the prime minister's authority.
According to Article 75 of the Constitution, Ministers of State are not subject to legal action without the consent of the prime minister during their tenure of office.

Powers exercised via the emperor[edit]
- Promulgation of amendments to the laws, cabinet orders and treaties.
- Convocation of the Diet.
- Dissolution of the House of Representatives.
- Proclamation of general elections to the Diet.
- Receiving of foreign ambassadors and ministers.
- Conferring of honours.
Explicit powers[edit]
- Execution of the law.
- Conduct of foreign affairs.
- Conclusion of treaties (with the consent of the Diet).
- Administration of the civil service.
- Drafting of the budget (which must be adopted by the Diet).
- Adoption of cabinet orders.
- Granting of general amnesty, special amnesty, commutation of punishment, reprieve, and restoration of rights.
- Signing of laws or cabinet orders by the relevant Minister of State and countersigned by the prime minister.
- Appointment of the associate justices of the Supreme Court of Japan (except for the chief justice, who is designated by the prime minister and formally appointed by the emperor).
- Appointment of vice-ministers (who are nominated by their respective minister to whom they will report).
List of cabinets of Japan[edit]
Under edicts (1885-1947)[edit]
Cabinets between 1885 and 1947 were formed under the cabinet edicts of 1885 and 1889. Cabinets were individually responsible to the emperor, and prime ministers were appointed.
- Oligarchic "transcendent" (non-/anti-partisan) cabinets
- 1. Itō I
- 2. Kuroda
- (2. Sanjō interim)
- 3. Yamagata I
- 4. Matsukata I
- 5. Itō II
- 6. Matsukata II
- 7. Itō III
- 8. Ōkuma I
- 9. Yamagata II
- 10. Itō IV
- 11. Katsura I
- 12. Saionji I
- 13. Katsura II
- 14. Saionji II
- 15. Katsura III
- 16. Yamamoto I
- 17. Ōkuma II
- 18. Terauchi
- Interwar period / "Taishō democracy" party cabinets
- 19. Hara
- 20. Takahashi
- 21. To. Katō
- 22. Yamamoto II
- 23. Kiyoura
- 24. Ta. Katō
- 25. Wakatsuki I
- 26. G. Tanaka
- 27. Hamaguchi
- 28. Wakatsuki II
- 29. Inukai
- Wartime "national unity" cabinets
- Under Allied occupation
- 43. Higashikuni
- 44. Shidehara
- 45. Yoshida I (R)
Under constitution (1947-present)[edit]
Cabinets since 1947 were formed under the Constitution of Japan. Cabinets were collectively responsible to the National Diet, and prime ministers were elected.
- Occupation period, multi-party system
- 46. Katayama
- 47. Ashida
- 48. Yoshida II
- 49. Yoshida III (R1) (R2) (R3)
- 50. Yoshida IV
- 51. Yoshida V
- 52. I. Hatoyama I
- 53. I. Hatoyama II
- LDP dominance
- 54. I. Hatoyama III
- 55. Ishibashi
- 56. Kishi I (R)
- 57. Kishi II (R)
- 58. Ikeda I
- 59. Ikeda II (R1) (R2) (R3)
- 60. Ikeda III (R)
- 61. Satō I (R1) (R2) (R3)
- 62. Satō II (R1) (R2)
- 63. Satō III (R)
- 64. K. Tanaka I
- 65. K. Tanaka II (R1) (R2)
- 66. Miki (R)
- 67. T. Fukuda (R)
- 68. Ōhira I
- 69. Ōhira II
- 70. Z. Suzuki (R)
- 71. Nakasone I
- 72. Nakasone II (R1) (R2)
- 73. Nakasone III
- 74. Takeshita (R)
- 75. Uno
- 76. Kaifu I
- 77. Kaifu II (R)
- 78. Miyazawa (R)
- "Lost decades" coalition cabinets
- 79. Hosokawa
- 80. Hata
- 81. Murayama (R)
- 82. Hashimoto I
- 83. Hashimoto II (R)
- 84. Obuchi (R1) (R2)
- 85. Mori I
- 86. Mori II (R1) (R2)
- 87. Koizumi I (R1) (R2)
- 88. Koizumi II (R)
- 89. Koizumi III (R)
- 90. S. Abe I (R)
- 91. Y. Fukuda (R)
- 92. Asō
- 93. Y. Hatoyama
- 94. Kan (R1) (R2)
- 95. Noda (R1) (R2) (R3)
- 96. S. Abe II (R)
- 97. S. Abe III (R1) (R2) (R3)
- 98. S. Abe IV (R1) (R2)
- 99. Suga
- 100. Kishida I
- 101. Kishida II
Current cabinet[edit]
The current cabinet was formed on 4 October 2021 (reorganized on 10 November 2021), and is headed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Liberal Democratic | |
Komeito |
R | Member of the House of Representatives |
C | Member of the House of Councillors |
Citation of this table: List of Kishida Cabinet Members[1]
Portfolio | Image | Minister | Constituency | Note | ||
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Prime Minister | ![]() |
Fumio Kishida | R | Hiroshima 1st | ||
Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications | ![]() |
Yasushi Kaneko | R | Kumamoto 4th | ||
Minister of Justice | ![]() |
Yoshihisa Furukawa | R | Miyazaki 3rd | ||
Minister for Foreign Affairs | ![]() |
Yoshimasa Hayashi | R | Yamaguchi 3rd | [2] | |
Minister of Finance Minister of State for Financial Services Minister in charge of Overcoming Deflation |
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Shun'ichi Suzuki | R | Iwate 2nd | ||
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister in charge of Education Rebuilding |
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Shinsuke Suematsu | C | Hyogo at-large | ||
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | ![]() |
Genjirō Kaneko | C | Nagasaki at-large | ||
Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare | ![]() |
Shigeyuki Goto | R | Nagano 4th | ||
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Minister in charge of Industrial Competitiveness Minister for Economic Cooperation with Russia Minister in charge of the Response to the Economic Impact caused by the Nuclear Accident Minister of State for the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation |
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Koichi Hagiuda | R | Tokyo 24th | ||
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister in charge of Water Cycle Policy |
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Tetsuo Saito | R | Hiroshima 3rd | ||
Minister of the Environment Minister of State for Nuclear Emergency Preparedness |
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Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi | R | Hyogo 12th | ||
Minister of Defense | ![]() |
Nobuo Kishi | R | Yamaguchi 2nd | ||
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minister in charge of Mitigating the Impact of U.S. Forces in Okinawa Minister in charge of the Abductions Issue Minister in charge of Promoting Vaccinations |
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Hirokazu Matsuno | R | Chiba 3rd | ||
Minister for Digital Transformation Minister in charge of Administrative Reform Minister of State for Regulatory Reform |
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Karen Makishima | R | Kanagawa 17th | ||
Minister of Reconstruction Minister in charge of Comprehensive Policy Coordination for Revival from the Nuclear Accident at Fukushima Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs |
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Kosaburo Nishime | R | Okinawa 4th | ||
Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission Minister in charge of Building National Resilience Minister in charge of Territorial Issues Minister in charge of Civil Service Reform Minister of State for Disaster Management and Ocean Policy |
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Satoshi Ninoyu | C | Kyoto at-large | ||
Minister of State for Regional Revitalization Minister of State for Measures for Declining Birthrate Minister of State for Gender Equality Minister in charge of Women's Empowerment Minister in charge of Policies Related to Children Minister in charge of Measures for Loneliness and Isolation |
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Seiko Noda | R | Gifu 1st | ||
Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization Minister in charge of New Capitalism Minister in charge of Measures for Novel Coronavirus Disease and Health Crisis Management Minister in charge of Social Security Reform Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy |
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Daishiro Yamagiwa | R | Kanagawa 18th | ||
Minister in charge of Economic Security Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy Minister of State for Space Policy |
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Takayuki Kobayashi | R | Chiba 2nd | ||
Minister for the World Expo 2025 Minister in charge of Digital Garden City Nation Vision Minister in charge of Cohesive Society Minister in charge of Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety Minister of State for "Cool Japan" Strategy Minister of State for the Intellectual Property Strategy |
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Kenji Wakamiya | R | Tokyo PR block |
See also[edit]
- Second Kishida Cabinet
- Prime Minister's Official Residence (Japan)
- List of female cabinet ministers of Japan
- Cabinet Office
- Politics of Japan
References[edit]
- The Japan Times. "Cabinet Profiles" [since 2008]. The Japan Times Online. Accessed 13 October 2012 from: https://web.archive.org/web/20040623111921/http://www.japantimes.com/cabinets.htm
- Cabinet Secretariat, Office of Cabinet Public Relations, Japan (2003) prime minister of Japan and His Cabinet. Retrieved 28 Oct. 2003
- Hunter, Janet (1984). Concise Dictionary of Modern Japanese History. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, pp. 266–324, Appendix 5: Japanese Cabinets Since the Introduction of the Cabinet System in 1885 [to 1980].
External links[edit]
- Official Website of the prime minister of Japan and His Cabinet
- List of successive Japanese cabinets (in Japanese)
- Previous Cabinets (Since 1996) and list of previous prime ministers (Since 1885) (in English)
- Cabinet Office
- Cabinet Secretariat (in Japanese only)
- Cabinet Legislation Bureau
Notes[edit]
- ^ "List of Ministers". The Cabinet of Japan Prime Minister. Cabinet Public Affairs Office, Cabinet Secretariat. 2021-11-10. Archived from the original on 2021-11-11. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
- ^ "PM Kishida to appoint Hayashi as foreign minister | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News". NHK WORLD. Retrieved 2021-11-06.