| Name | Took Office | Left Office |
| 1. Ito, Hirobumi | 22 December 1885 | 30 April 1888 |
| 2. Kuroda, Kiyotaka | 30 April 1888 | 25 October 1889 |
| * | ||
| 3. Yamagata, Aritomo | 24 December 1889 | 6 May 1891 |
| 4. Matsukata, Masayoshi | 6 May 1891 | 8 August 1892 |
| 5. Ito, Hirobumi 2nd term | 8 August 1892 | 31 August 1896 |
| ** | ||
| 6. Matsukata, Masayoshi 2nd term | 18 September 1896 | 12 January 1898 |
| 7. Ito, Hirobumi 3rd term | 12 January 1898 | 30 June 1898 |
| 8. Okuma, Shigenobu | 30 June 1898 | 8 November 1898 |
| 9. Yamagata, Aritomo 2nd term | 8 November 1898 | 19 October 1900 |
| 10. Ito, Hirobumi 4th term | 19 October 1900 | 10 May 1901 |
| *** | ||
| 11. Katsura, Taro | 2 June 1901 | 7 January 1906 |
| 12. Saionji, Kinmochi | 7 January 1906 | 14 July 1908 |
| 13. Katsura, Taro 2nd term | 14 July 1908 | 30 August 1911 |
| 14. Saionji, Kinmochi 2nd term | 30 August 1911 | 21 December 1912 |
| 15. Katsura, Taro 3rd term | 21 December 1912 | 20 February 1913 |
| 16. Yamamoto, Gonnohyoe | 20 February 1913 | 16 April 1914 |
| 17. Okuma, Shigenobu 2nd term | 16 April 1914 | 9 October 1916 |
| 18. Terauchi, Masatake | 9 October 1916 | 29 September 1918 |
| 19. Hara, Takashi | 29 September 1918 | 4 November 1921 |
| **** | ||
| 20. Takahashi, Korekiyo | 13 November 1921 | 12 June 1922 |
| 21. Kato, Tomosaburo | 12 June 1922 | 24 August 1923 |
| ***** | ||
| 22. Yamamoto, Gonnohyoe 2nd term | 2 September 1923 | 7 January 1924 |
| 23. Kiyoura, Keigo | 7 January 1924 | 11 June 1924 |
| 24. Kato, Takaaki | 11 June 1924 | 28 January 1926 |
| ****** | ||
| 25. Wakatsuki, Reijiro | 30 January 1926 | 20 April 1927 |
| 26. Tanaka, Giichi | 20 April 1927 | 2 July 1929 |
| 27. Hamaguchi, Osachi | 2 July 1929 | 14 April 1931 |
| 28. Wakatsuki, Reijiro 2nd term | 14 April 1931 | 13 December 1931 |
| 29. Inukai, Tsuyoshi | 13 December 1931 | 16 May 1932 |
| ******* | ||
| 30. Saito, Makoto | 26 May 1932 | 8 July 1934 |
| 31. Okada, Keisuke | 8 July 1934 | 9 March 1936 |
| 32. Hirota, Koki | 9 March 1936 | 2 February 1937 |
| 33. Hayashi, Senjuro | 2 February 1937 | 4 June 1937 |
| 34. Konoe, Fumimaro | 4 June 1937 | 5 January 1939 |
| 35. Hiranuma, Kiichiro | 5 January 1939 | 30 August 1939 |
| 36. Abe, Nobuyuki | 30 August 1939 | 16 January 1940 |
| 37. Yonai, Mitsumasa | 16 January 1940 | 22 July 1940 |
| 38. Konoe, Fumimaro 2nd term | 22 July 1940 | 18 July 1941 |
| 39. Konoe, Fumimaro 3rd term | 18 July 1941 | 18 October 1941 |
| 40. Tojo, Hideki | 18 October 1941 | 22 July 1944 |
| 41. Koiso, Kuniaki | 22 July 1944 | 7 April 1945 |
| 42. Suzuki, Kantaro | 7 April 1945 | 17 August 1945 |
| 43. Higashikuni, Naruhiko | 17 August 1945 | 9 October 1945 |
| 44. Shidehara, Kijuro | 9 October 1945 | 22 May 1946 |
| 45. Yoshida, Shigeru | 22 May 1946 | 24 May 1947 |
| 46. Katayama, Tetsu | 24 May 1947 | 10 March 1948 |
| 47. Ashida, Hitoshi | 10 March 1948 | 15 October 1948 |
| 48. Yoshida, Shigeru 2nd term | 15 October 1948 | 16 February 1949 |
| 49. Yoshida, Shigeru 3rd term | 16 February 1949 | 30 October 1952 |
| 50. Yoshida, Shigeru 4th term | 30 October 1952 | 21 May 1953 |
| 51. Yoshida, Shigeru 5th term | 21 May 1953 | 10 December 1954 |
| 52. Hatoyama, Ichirō | 10 December 1954 | 19 March 1955 |
| 53. Hatoyama, Ichirō 2nd term | 19 March 1955 | 22 November 1955 |
| 54. Hatoyama, Ichirō 3rd term | 22 November 1955 | 23 December 1956 |
| 55. Ishibashi, Tanzan | 23 December 1956 | 25 February 1957 |
| 56. Kishi, Nobusuke | 25 February 1957 | 12 June 1958 |
| 57. Kishi, Nobusuke 2nd term | 12 June 1958 | 19 July 1960 |
| 58. Ikeda, Hayato | 19 July 1960 | 8 December 1960 |
| 59. Ikeda, Hayato 2nd term | 8 December 1960 | 9 December 1963 |
| 60. Ikeda, Hayato 3rd term | 9 December 1963 | 9 November 1964 |
| 61. Sato, Eisaku | 9 November 1964 | 17 February 1967 |
| 62. Sato, Eisaku 2nd term | 17 February 1967 | 14 January 1970 |
| 63. Sato, Eisaku 3rd term | 14 January 1970 | 7 July 1972 |
| 64. Tanaka, Kakuei | 7 July 1972 | 22 December 1972 |
| 65. Tanaka, Kakuei 2nd term | 22 December 1972 | 9 December 1974 |
| 66. Miki, Takeo | 9 December 1974 | 24 December 1976 |
| 67. Fukuda, Takeo | 24 December 1976 | 7 December 1978 |
| 68. Ohira, Masayoshi | 7 December 1978 | 9 November 1979 |
| 69. Ohira, Masayoshi 2nd term | 9 November 1979 | 12 June 1980 |
| ******** | ||
| 70. Suzuki, Zenko | 17 July 1980 | 27 November 1982 |
| 71. Nakasone, Yasuhiro | 27 November 1982 | 27 December 1983 |
| 72. Nakasone, Yasuhiro 2nd term | 27 December 1983 | 22 July 1986 |
| 73. Nakasone, Yasuhiro 3rd term | 22 July 1986 | 6 November 1987 |
| 74. Takeshita, Noboru | 6 November 1987 | 3 June 1989 |
| 75. Uno, Sosuke | 3 June 1989 | 10 August 1989 |
| 76. Kaifu, Toshiki | 10 August 1989 | 28 February 1990 |
| 77. Kaifu, Toshiki 2nd term | 28 February 1990 | 5 November 1991 |
| 78. Miyazawa, Kiichi | 5 November 1991 | 9 August 1993 |
| 79. Hosokawa, Morihiro | 9 August 1993 | 28 April 1994 |
| 80. Hata, Tsutomu | 28 April 1994 | 30 June 1994 |
| 81. Murayama, Tomiichi | 30 June 1994 | 11 January 1996 |
| 82. Hashimoto, Ryutaro | 11 January 1996 | 7 November 1996 |
| 83. Hashimoto, Ryutaro 2nd term | 7 November 1996 | 30 July 1998 |
| 84. Obuchi, Keizo | 30 July 1998 | 5 April 2000 |
| 85. Mori, Yoshiro | 5 April 2000 | 4 July 2000 |
| 86. Mori, Yoshiro 2nd term | 4 July 2000 | 26 April 2001 |
| 87. Koizumi, Junichiro | 26 April 2001 | 19 November 2003 |
| 88. Koizumi, Junichiro 2nd term | 19 November 2003 | 21 September 2005 |
| 89. Koizumi, Junichiro 3rd term | 21 September 2005 | (present) |
* During this interval, Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal Sanjo Sanetomi concurrently held the post of prime minister.
** During this interval, Privy Council chairman Kuroda Kiyotaka was the interim prime minister.
*** During this interval, Privy Council chairman Saionji Kinmochi was the interim prime minister.
**** During this interval, Foreign Affairs minister Uchida Yasuya was the interim prime minister.
***** During this interval, Foreign Affairs minister Uchida Yasuya was the interim prime minister.
****** During this interval, Home minister Wakatsuki Reijiro was the interim prime minister.
******* During this interval, Finance minister Takahashi Korekiyo was the interim prime minister.
******** During this interval, Cabinet Secretariat chairman Masayoshi Ito was the interim prime minister.