Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)

The 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 Toshimitsu Motegi, who took office on October 21, 2025.

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) # Portrait Name Took office Left office 1 Count Inoue Kaoru December 1885 September 1887 – Count Itō Hirobumi September 1887 February 1888 2 Count Ōkuma Shigenobu (1st) February 1888 December 1889 3 Viscount Aoki Shūzō (1st) December 1889 May 1891 4 Viscount Enomoto Takeaki May 1891 August 1892 5 Viscount Mutsu Munemitsu August 1892 May 1896 6 Marquis Saionji Kinmochi (1st) May 1896 September 1896 2 Count Ōkuma Shigenobu (2nd) September 1896 November 1897 7 Baron Nishi Tokujirō November 1897 January 1898 2 Count Ōkuma Shigenobu (3rd) January 1898 June 1898 3 Viscount Aoki Shūzō (2nd) June 1898 October 1900 8 Katō Takaaki (1st) October 1900 June 1901 9 Sone Arasuke June 1901 September 1901 10 Baron Komura Jutarō (1st) September 1901 January 1906 8 Katō Takaaki (2nd) January 1906 March 1906 6 Marquis Saionji Kinmochi (2nd) March 1906 May 1906 11 Count Hayashi Tadasu May 1906 July 1908 12 General Viscount Terauchi Masatake (1st) July 1908 August 1908 10 Marquis Komura Jutarō (2nd) August 1908 August 1911 13 Viscount Uchida Kosai (1st) August 1911 December 1912 14 Prince Katsura Tarō December 1912 January 1913 8 Baron Katō Takaaki (3rd) January 1913 February 1913 15 Baron Makino Nobuaki February 1913 April 1914 8 Baron Katō Takaaki (4th) April 1914 August 1915 2 Count Ōkuma Shigenobu (4th) August 1915 October 1915 16 Viscount Ishii Kikujirō October 1915 October 1916 12 Marshal Count Terauchi Masatake (2nd) October 1916 November 1916 17 Viscount Motono Ichirō November 1916 April 1918 18 Baron Gotō Shinpei April 1918 September 1918 13 Count Uchida Kosai (2nd) September 1918 2 September 1923 19 Admiral Count Yamamoto Gonnohyōe 2 September 1923 19 September 1923 20 Baron Ijuin Hikokichi September 1923 January 1924 21 Baron Matsui Keishirō January 1924 June 1924 22 Baron Kijūrō Shidehara (1st) June 1924 April 1927 23 Baron Tanaka Giichi April 1927 July 1929 22 Baron Kijūrō Shidehara (2nd) July 1929 December 1931 24 Inukai Tsuyoshi December 1931 January 1932 25 Kenkichi Yoshizawa January 1932 May 1932 26 Admiral Viscount Saitō Makoto May 1932 July 1932 13 Count Uchida Kosai (3rd) July 1932 September 1933 27 Kōki Hirota (1st) September 1933 April 1936 28 Hachirō Arita (1st) April 1936 February 1937 29 Senjuro Hayashi February 1937 March 1937 30 Naotake Satō March 1937 June 1937 27 Kōki Hirota (2nd) June 1937 May 1938 31 General Kazushige Ugaki May 1938 September 1938 32 Prince Fumimaro Konoe September 1938 October 1938 28 Hachirō Arita (2nd) October 1938 January 1939 33 General Nobuyuki Abe January 1939 August 1939 34 Admiral Kichisaburō Nomura August 1939 January 1940 28 Hachirō Arita (3rd) January 1940 July 1940 35 Yōsuke Matsuoka July 1940 July 1941 36 Admiral Teijirō Toyoda July 1941 October 1941 37 Shigenori Tōgō (1st) October 1941 September 1942 38 General Hideki Tōjō 1 September 1942 17 September 1942 39 Masayuki Tani September 1942 April 1943 40 Mamoru Shigemitsu (1st) April 1943 April 1945 41 Admiral Baron Kantarō Suzuki April 1945 April 1945 37 Shigenori Tōgō (2nd) April 1945 August 1945 40 Mamoru Shigemitsu (2nd) August 1945 September 1945

Postwar Japan (1945–present)

Foreign MinisterTerm of officePrime Minister#PortraitNameTook officeLeft officeDays43Shigeru YoshidaSeptember 15, 1945May 24, 1947 Prince Naruhiko HigashikuniKijūrō ShideharaShigeru Yoshida –Tetsu KatayamaMay 24, 1947June 1, 1947 Tetsu Katayama44Hitoshi AshidaJune 1, 1947October 15, 1948 Hitoshi Ashida(43)Shigeru YoshidaOctober 15, 1948April 30, 1952 Shigeru Yoshida45Katsuo OkazakiApril 30, 1952December 10, 1954 (40)Mamoru ShigemitsuDecember 10, 1954November 22, 1955 Ichirō HatoyamaNovember 22, 1955December 23, 1956 –Tanzan IshibashiDecember 23, 1956December 23, 1956 Tanzan Ishibashi46Nobusuke KishiDecember 23, 1956July 10, 1957 Nobusuke Kishi47Aiichirō FujiyamaJuly 10, 1957July 19, 1960 48Zentaro KosakaJuly 19, 1960July 18, 1962 Hayato Ikeda49Masayoshi ŌhiraJuly 18, 1962July 18, 1964 50Shiina EtsusaburoJuly 18, 1964December 3, 1966 Eisaku Satō51Takeo MikiDecember 3, 1966October 29, 1968 –Eisaku SatōOctober 29, 1968November 30, 1968 52Kiichi AichiNovember 30, 1968July 9, 1971 53Takeo FukudaJuly 9, 1971July 7, 1972 (49)Masayoshi ŌhiraJuly 7, 1972July 16, 1974 Kakuei Tanaka54Toshio KimuraJuly 16, 1974December 9, 1974 55Kiichi MiyazawaDecember 9, 1974September 5, 1976 Takeo Miki(48)Zentaro KosakaSeptember 5, 1976December 24, 1976 56Iichirō HatoyamaDecember 24, 1976November 28, 1977 Takeo Fukuda57Sunao SonodaNovember 28, 1977November 8, 1979 Masayoshi Ōhira58Saburō ŌkitaNovember 8, 1979July 17, 1980 59Masayoshi ItoJuly 17, 1980May 18, 1981 Zenkō Suzuki(57)Sunao SonodaMay 18, 1981November 30, 1981 60Yoshio SakurauchiNovember 30, 1981November 27, 1982 61Shintaro AbeNovember 27, 1982July 22, 1986 Yasuhiro Nakasone62Tadashi KuranariJuly 22, 1986November 6, 1987 63Sosuke UnoNovember 6, 1987June 3, 1989 Noboru Takeshita64Hiroshi MitsuzukaJune 3, 1989August 10, 1989 Sosuke Uno65Taro NakayamaAugust 10, 1989November 5, 1991 Toshiki Kaifu66Michio WatanabeNovember 5, 1991April 7, 1993 Kiichi Miyazawa67Kabun MutōApril 7, 1993August 9, 1993 68Tsutomu HataAugust 9, 1993April 28, 1994 Morihiro Hosokawa69Koji KakizawaApril 28, 1994June 30, 1994 Tsutomu Hata70Yōhei KōnoJune 30, 1994January 11, 1996 Tomiichi Murayama71Yukihiko IkedaJanuary 11, 1996September 11, 1997 Ryutaro Hashimoto72Keizo ObuchiSeptember 11, 1997July 30, 1998 73Masahiko KōmuraJuly 30, 1998October 5, 1999 Keizo Obuchi(70)Yōhei KōnoOctober 5, 1999April 26, 2001 Yoshiro Mori74Makiko TanakaApril 26, 2001January 29, 2002 Junichiro Koizumi75Junichiro Koizumi (Acting)January 29, 2002February 1, 2002 76Yoriko KawaguchiFebruary 1, 2002September 27, 2004 77Nobutaka MachimuraSeptember 27, 2004October 31, 2005 78Tarō AsōOctober 31, 2005August 27, 2007 Shinzō Abe(77)Nobutaka MachimuraAugust 27, 2007September 26, 2007 (73)Masahiko KōmuraSeptember 26, 2007September 24, 2008 Yasuo Fukuda79Hirofumi NakasoneSeptember 24, 2008September 16, 2009 Tarō Asō80Katsuya OkadaSeptember 16, 2009September 17, 2010 Yukio HatoyamaNaoto Kan81Seiji MaeharaSeptember 17, 2010March 7, 2011 –Yukio Edano (Acting)March 7, 2011March 9, 2011 82Takeaki MatsumotoMarch 9, 2011September 2, 2011 83Kōichirō GenbaSeptember 2, 2011December 26, 2012 Yoshihiko Noda84Fumio KishidaDecember 26, 2012August 3, 2017 Shinzō Abe85Taro KonoAugust 3, 2017September 11, 2019 86Toshimitsu MotegiSeptember 11, 2019November 4, 2021 Yoshihide Suga(84)Fumio Kishida (Acting)November 4, 2021November 10, 2021Fumio Kishida87Yoshimasa HayashiNovember 10, 2021September 13, 202388Yōko KamikawaSeptember 13, 2023October 1, 2024 89Takeshi IwayaOctober 1, 2024October 21, 2025 Shigeru Ishiba (86)Toshimitsu MotegiOctober 21, 2025Incumbent Sanae Takaichi

See also Foreign minister Foreign policy of Japan

Notes

References

External links Minister's Profile at Ministry of Foreign Affairs website