Deputy Prime Minister of Japan

The deputy prime Minister of Japan (副総理, Fuku-sōri) is the second highest-ranking officer of the executive branch of the government of Japan after the prime minister of Japan, and ranks first in the line of succession to the prime minister. The office of the deputy prime minister is not a permanent position, and exists only at the discretion of the prime minister.

Deputy Prime Minister of Japan
副総理
Emblem of the Government of Japan
Incumbent Vacant since 4 October 2021
Style	Mr. Deputy Prime Minister
Status	Deputy head of government
Member of	Cabinet National Security Council
Appointer	The Prime Minister attested to by the Emperor
Term length	No fixed term
Inaugural holder	Kijūrō Shidehara
Formation	3 May 1947
Succession	First
Salary	¥20,916,000

The deputy prime minister is appointed by the prime minister and must be a member of the cabinet, for instance Taro Aso served as Minister of Finance concurrently. Should the prime minister be incapacitated or resign, the deputy prime minister does not automatically succeed to the position, but instead exercises the duties of the prime minister until the National Diet elects a successor. Tarō Asō was the longest-serving deputy prime minister.

This position has been vacant since 4 October 2021.

List of deputy prime ministers of Japan

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Party		Portfolio	Prime Minister
			Took office	Left office
1		Kijūrō Shidehara 幣原 喜重郎 Shidehara Kijūrō (1872–1951)	3 May 1947	24 May 1947		JPP	Demobilization Board		Yoshida JLP (1946–1947)
—	Office not in use		24 May 1947	1 June 1947	—				Katayama JSP (1947–1948)
2		Hitoshi Ashida 芦田 均 Ashida Hitoshi (1887–1959)	1 June 1947	10 March 1948		DP	Foreign Affairs
3		Suehiro Nishio 西尾 末広 Nishio Suehiro (1891–1981)	10 March 1948	6 July 1948		DP	Minister of State		Ashida DP (1948)
—	Office not in use		6 July 1948	19 October 1948	—
									Yoshida DLP (until 1950) LP (from 1950) (1948–1954)
4		Jōji Hayashi 林 譲治 Hayashi Jōji (1889–1960)	19 October 1948	13 March 1951		DLP (until 1950)	Health (1948–1950)
						LP (from 1950)
							Minister of State (1950–1951)
—	Office not in use		13 March 1951	28 November 1952	—
5		Taketora Ogata 緒方 竹虎 Ogata Taketora (1888–1956)	28 November 1952	10 December 1954		LP	Chief Cabinet Secretary
6		Mamoru Shigemitsu 重光 葵 Shigemitsu Mamoru (1887–1957)	10 December 1954	23 December 1956		JDP (until 1955)	Foreign Affairs		Hatoyama I. JDP (until 1955) LDP (from 1955) (1954–1956)
						LDP (from 1955)
—	Office not in use		23 December 1956	20 May 1957	—				Ishibashi LDP (1956–1957)
									Kishi LDP (1957–1960)
7		Mitsujirō Ishii 石井 光次郎 Ishii Mitsujirō (1889–1981)	20 May 1957	12 June 1958		LDP	Minister of State (1957)
							Administrative Management Agency (1957–1958)
							Hokkaido Development Agency (1957–1958)
—	Office not in use		12 June 1958	18 June 1959	—
8		Shūji Masutani 益谷 秀次 Masutani Shūji (1888–1973)	18 June 1959	19 July 1960		LDP	Administrative Management Agency
—	Office not in use		19 July 1960	29 August 1972	—				Ikeda LDP (1960–1964)
									Satō LDP (1964–1972)
									Tanaka LDP (1972–1974)
9		Takeo Miki 三木 武夫 Miki Takeo (1907–1988)	29 August 1972	12 July 1974		LDP	Minister of State
—	Office not in use		12 July 1974	9 December 1974	—
10		Takeo Fukuda 福田 赳夫 Fukuda Takeo (1905–1995)	9 December 1974	6 November 1976		LDP	Economic Planning Agency		Miki LDP (1974–1976)
—	Office not in use		6 November 1976	11 June 1980	—
									Fukuda T. LDP (1976–1978)
									Ōhira LDP (1978–1980)
11		Masayoshi Ito 伊東 正義 Itō Masayoshi (1913–1994)	11 June 1980	7 July 1980		LDP	Chief Cabinet Secretary		Himself as Acting Prime Minister
—	Office not in use		7 July 1980	22 July 1986	—				Suzuki LDP (1980–1982)
									Nakasone LDP (1982–1987)
12		Shin Kanemaru 金丸 信 Kanemaru Shin (1914–1996)	22 July 1986	6 November 1987		LDP	Minister of State
13		Kiichi Miyazawa 宮澤 喜一 Miyazawa Kiichi (1919–2007)	6 November 1987	9 December 1988		LDP	Minister of State		Takeshita LDP (1987–1989)
—	Office not in use		9 December 1988	5 November 1991	—
									Uno LDP (1987–1988)
									Kaifu LDP (1989–1991)
14		Michio Watanabe 渡辺 美智雄 Watanabe Michio (1923–1995)	5 November 1991	7 April 1993		LDP	Foreign Affairs		Miyazawa LDP (1991–1993)
15		Masaharu Gotōda 後藤田 正晴 Gotōda Masaharu (1914–2005)	8 April 1993	9 August 1993		LDP	Justice
16		Tsutomu Hata 羽田 孜 Hata Tsutomu (1935–2017)	9 August 1993	28 April 1994		JRP	Foreign Affairs		Hosokawa JNP (1993–1994)
—	Office not in use		28 April 1994	30 June 1994	—				Hata JRP (1994)
17		Yōhei Kōno 河野 洋平 Kōno Yōhei (born 1937)	30 June 1994	2 October 1995		LDP	Foreign Affairs		Murayama JSP (1994–1996)
18		Ryutaro Hashimoto 橋本 龍太郎 Hashimoto Ryūtarō (1937–2006)	2 October 1995	11 January 1996		LDP	Trade
19		Wataru Kubo 久保 亘 Kubo Wataru (1929–2003)	11 January 1996	7 November 1996		SDP	Finance		Hashimoto LDP (1996–1998)
—	Office not in use		7 November 1996	16 September 2009	—
									Obuchi LDP (1998–2000)
									Mori LDP (2000–2001)
									Koizumi LDP (2001–2006)
									Abe LDP (2006–2007)
									Fukuda Y. LDP (2007–2008)
									Asō LDP (2008–2009)
20		Naoto Kan 菅 直人 Kan Naoto (born 1946)	16 September 2009	8 June 2010		DPJ	Minister of State		Hatoyama Y. DPJ (2009–2010)
—	Office not in use		8 June 2010	13 January 2012	—				Kan DPJ (2010–2011)
									Noda DPJ (2011–2012)
21		Katsuya Okada 岡田 克也 Okada Katsuya (born 1953)	13 January 2012	26 December 2012		DPJ	Minister of State
22		Tarō Asō 麻生 太郎 Asō Tarō (born 1940)	26 December 2012	4 October 2021		LDP	Finance		Abe LDP (2012–2020)
									Suga LDP (2020–2021)
—	Office not in use		4 October 2021	Present	—				Kishida LDP (2021–2024)
									Ishiba LDP (since 2024)

References

• Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, Kenkyusha Limited, Tokyo 1991, ISBN 4-7674-2015-6