Deputy Prime Minister of Japan

Deputy Prime Minister of Japan 副総理 Fuku-sōri
Emblem of the Government of Japan
Incumbent Tarō Asō since 26 December 2012
Appointer	The Emperor on advice of the Prime Minister
Inaugural holder	Kijūrō Shidehara
Formation	3 May 1947

The Deputy Prime Minister of Japan (副総理, Fuku-sōri) is a senior member of the Cabinet of Japan. The office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not a permanent position, existing only at the discretion of the Prime Minister.

Deputy prime minister possesses no special powers as such, though they will always have particular responsibilities in government. They do not automatically succeed the Prime Minister, should the latter be incapacitated or resign from the leadership of his or her political party. In practice, however, the designation of someone to the role of Deputy Prime Minister may provide additional practical status within cabinet, enabling the exercise of de facto, if not de jure, power.

The current Deputy Prime Minister is Tarō Asō, who took the post on 26 December 2012.

Color key (for political party)

Japan Progressive       Japan Liberal - Democratic Liberal - Liberal       Democratic - Japan Democratic       Liberal Democratic       Renewal       Japan New       Democratic       Socialist

Lists of Deputy Prime Ministers of Japan

Deputy Prime Minister			Term of office			Prime Minister
Portrait		Name	Took Office	Left Office	Days
		Kijūrō Shidehara 幣原 喜重郎 Shidehara Kijūrō (1872–1951)	3 May 1947	24 May 1947			Shigeru Yoshida
Office not in use			1947				Tetsu Katayama
		Hitoshi Ashida 芦田 均 Ashida Hitoshi (1887–1959)	1 June 1947	10 March 1948
		Suehiro Nishio 西尾 末広 Nishio Suehiro (1891-1981)	10 March 1948	6 July 1948			Hitoshi Ashida
Office not in use			1948
		Jōji Hayashi 林 譲治 Hayashi Jōji (1889-1960)	19 October 1948	13 March 1951			Shigeru Yoshida
Office not in use			1951-1952
		Taketora Ogata 緒方 竹虎 Ogata Taketora (1888-1956)	28 November 1952	10 December 1954
		Mamoru Shigemitsu 重光 葵 Shigemitsu Mamoru (1887-1957)	10 December 1954	23 December 1956			Ichirō Hatoyama
Office not in use			1956-1957				Tanzan Ishibashi
		Mitsujirō Ishii 石井 光次郎 Ishii Mitsujirō (1889-1981)	20 May 1957	12 June 1958			Nobusuke Kishi
Office not in use			1958-1959
		Shūji Masutani 益谷 秀次 Masutani Shūji (1888-1978)	18 June 1959	19 July 1960
Office not in use			1960-1972				Hayato Ikeda
							Eisaku Satō
		Takeo Miki 三木 武夫 Miki Takeo (1907-1988)	29 August 1972	12 July 1974			Kakuei Tanaka
Office not in use			1974
		Takeo Fukuda 福田 赳夫 Fukuda Takeo (1905-1995)	9 December 1974	6 November 1976			Takeo Miki
Office not in use			1976-1980
							Takeo Fukuda
		Masayoshi Ito 伊東 正義 Itō Masayoshi (1913-1994)	11 June 1980	17 July 1980			Masayoshi Ōhira
Office not in use			1980-1986				Zenkō Suzuki
		Shin Kanemaru 金丸 信 Kanemaru Shin (1914-1996)	22 July 1986	6 November 1987			Yasuhiro Nakasone
		Kiichi Miyazawa 宮澤 喜一 Miyazawa Kiichi (1919-2007)	6 November 1987	9 December 1988			Noboru Takeshita
Office not in use			1988-1991
							Sōsuke Uno
							Toshiki Kaifu
		Michio Watanabe 渡辺 美智雄 Watanabe Michio (1923-1995)	5 November 1991	7 April 1993			Kiichi Miyazawa
		Masaharu Gotōda 後藤田 正晴 Gotōda Masaharu (1914-2005)	8 April 1993	9 August 1993
		Tsutomu Hata 羽田 孜 Hata Tsutomu (1935-)	9 August 1993	28 April 1994			Morihiro Hosokawa
Office not in use			1994				Tsutomu Hata
		Yōhei Kōno 河野 洋平 Kōno Yōhei (1937-)	30 June 1994	2 October 1995			Tomiichi Murayama
		Ryutaro Hashimoto 橋本 龍太郎 Hashimoto Ryūtarō (1937-2006)	2 October 1995	11 January 1996
		Wataru Kubo 久保 亘 Kubo Wataru (1929-2003)	11 January 1996	7 November 1996			Ryutaro Hashimoto
Office not in use			1996-2009
							Keizō Obuchi
							Yoshirō Mori
							Junichiro Koizumi
							Shinzō Abe
							Yasuo Fukuda
							Tarō Asō
		Naoto Kan 菅 直人 Kan Naoto (1946-)	16 September 2009	8 June 2010			Yukio Hatoyama
Office not in use			2010-2012				Naoto Kan
		Katsuya Okada 岡田 克也 Okada Katsuya (1953-)	13 January 2012	26 December 2012			Yoshihiko Noda
		Tarō Asō 麻生 太郎 Asō Tarō (1940-)	26 December 2012	Incumbent			Shinzō Abe

References

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