Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)

All you want to know about Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)

The Minister for Foreign Affairs (外務大臣, Gaimu Daijin^?) of Japan is the Cabinet member responsible for Japanese foreign policy and the chief executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Since the end of the American occupation of Japan, the position has been one of the most powerful in the Cabinet, as Japan's economic interests have long relied on external relations. The recent efforts of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to establish a more interventionist foreign policy have also heightened the importance of the position.

The current foreign minister (2007) is Masahiko Koumura.

List of ministers

Inoue Kaoru (1885–87)
Ito Hirobumi (1887–88)
Okuma Shigenobu (1888–89, 1896–97, 1898, 1915)
Aoki Shuzo (1889–91, 1898–1900)
Enomoto Takeaki (1891–92)
Mutsu Munemitsu (1892–96)
Saionji Kimmochi (1896, 1906)
Nishi Tokujiro (1897–98)
Kato Takaaki (1900–01, 1906, 1913, 1914–15)
Sone Arasuke (1901)
Komura Jutaro (1901–06, 1908–11)
Hayashi Tadasu (1906–08)
Terauchi Masatake (1908, 1916)
Yasuya Uchida (1911–12, 1918–23, 1932–33)
Taro Katsura (1912–13)
Makino Nobuaki (1913–14)
Kikujiro Ishii (1915–16)
Ichiro Motono (1916–18)
Shimpei Goto (1918)
Gonnohyoe Yamamoto (1923)
Hikokichi Ijuin (1923–24)
Keishiro Matsui (1924)
Kijuro Shidehara (1924–27, 1929–31)
Giichi Tanaka (1927–29)
Tsuyoshi Inukai (1931–32)
Kenkichi Yoshizawa (1932)
Makoto Saito (1932)
Koki Hirota (1933–36, 1937–38)
Hachiro Arita (1936–37, 1938–39, 1940)
Senjuro Hayashi (1937)
Naotake Sato (1937)
Kazushige Ugaki (1938)
Nobuyuki Abe (1939)
Kichisaburo Nomura (1939–40)
Yosuke Matsuoka (1940–41)
Teijiro Toyoda (1941)
Shigenori Togo (1941–1942, 1945)
Hideki Tojo (1942)
Masayuki Tani (1942–43)
Mamoru Shigemitsu (1943–45, 1945, 1954–56)
Kantaro Suzuki (1945)
Shigeru Yoshida (1945–47, 1948–54)
Hitoshi Ashida (1947–48)
Nobusuke Kishi (1956–57)
Aiichiro Fujiyama (1957–60)
Zentaro Kosaka (1960–62, 1976)
Masayoshi Ohira (1962–64, 1972–74)
Etsusaburo Shiina (1964–66)
Takeo Miki (1966–68)
Kiichi Aichi (1968–71)
Takeo Fukuda (1971–72)
Toshio Kimura (1974)
Kiichi Miyazawa (1974–76)
Ichiro Hatoyama (1976–77)
Sunao Sonoda (1977–79, 1981)
Saburo Okita (1979–80)
Masayoshi Ito (1980–81)
Yoshio Sakurauchi (1981–82)
Shintaro Abe (1982–86)
Tadashi Kuranari (1986–87)
Sosuke Uno (1987–89)
Hiroshi Mitsuzuka (1989)
Taro Nakayama (1989–91)
Michio Watanabe (1991–93)
Kabun Muto (1993)
Tsutomu Hata (1993–94)
Koji Kakizawa (1994)
Yohei Kono (1994–96, 1999–2001)
Yukihiko Ikeda (1996–97)
Keizo Obuchi (1997–98)
Masahiko Komura (1998–99)
Makiko Tanaka (2001–02)
Junichiro Koizumi (2002)
Yoriko Kawaguchi (2002–04)
Nobutaka Machimura (2004–05)
Tarō Asō (2005–07)
Nobutaka Machimura (2007)
Masahiko Koumura (2007–)

External links

Minister's Profile at Ministry of Foreign Affairs website

v • d • e Foreign relations of Japan

Africa	Algeria • Egypt • Ethiopia • Kenya • Libya • Morocco • Senegal • South Africa • Tunisia

Americas	Argentina • Brazil • Canada • Colombia • Paraguay • United States

Asia	Bangladesh • China • Korea • Philippines • Taiwan • Thailand • Vietnam

Europe	Croatia • Cyprus • Denmark • France • Georgia • Germany • Greece • Iceland • Kosovo • Malta • Moldova • Russia • Slovenia • Turkey • Ukraine • United Kingdom

Middle East	Iran • Iraq • Israel • Lebanon • Syria

Oceania	Australia

Disputes	Kuril Islands dispute • Liancourt Rocks dispute • Senkaku Islands dispute

Related topics	Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Relations with the United Nations • Diplomats of Japan • Development assistance • Economic relations

Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs