Ministries of Japan


The Ministries of Japan or Government Agencies of Japan are the most influential part of the executive branch of the Government of Japan. Each ministry is headed by a Minister of State appointed by the Prime Minister. In postwar politics, the posts of ministers have been given to senior legislators, mostly of the LDP. However, few ministers serve for more than one or two years to develop the necessary grasp of the organisation to become really influential. Thus, most of the power lies within the ministries, with the senior bureaucrats.
The current 15 Cabinet-level ministries of the Government of Japan include:
The Board of Audit of Japan is responsible for ensuring the adequacy of the Government's financial management by continuously auditing and supervising government activities, and verifying expenditures and revenues of the state.

List of ministries

Ministries in the Empire of Japan

Pre-[2001 Central Government Reform]

Post-2001 Central Government Reform

As a result of the reforms in 2001, many ministries were reformed.

As of April 2023

Several other smaller reforms were also made after the larger central government reforms were implemented in 2001.
  • In 2004, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, changed its English name into "Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications".
  • In 2007, the Defense Agency was reorganized into "Ministry of Defense".
  • In 2008, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, changed its English name into "Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism".
  • In 2012, the Reconstruction Agency was established in the aim of recovery from 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
  • In 2021, the Digital Agency was established in the aim to promote e-government and digital transformation.
  • In 2023, the Children and Families Agency was established.

List of ministers of state