Chief Justice of Japan

Chief Justice of Japan 最高裁判所長官
Incumbent Naoto Ōtani since January 9, 2018
Style	The Honourable
Appointer	HIM The Emperor
Term length	Life tenure until the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Website	www.courts.go.jp

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The Chief Justice of Japan (最高裁判所長官, Saikōsaibansho-chōkan) is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Japan and is the head of the judicial branch of the Japanese government. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being nominated by the Cabinet; which is in practice, known to be under the recommendation of the former Chief Justice.

List of Chief Justices

For a list of Chief Justices prior to 2002, see List of Chief Justices of Japan.

Name	Japanese Script	Appointment date
Akira Machida	町田顯	November 6, 2002
Niro Shimada	島田仁郎	October 16, 2006
Hironobu Takesaki	竹崎博允	November 21, 2008
Itsurō Terada	寺田逸郎	April 1, 2014
Naoto Ōtani	大谷直人	January 9, 2018

External links

• Official Website (in Japanese)
• Official Profile (in English)