The rulers of Japan have been its Emperors, whether effectively or nominally, for its entire recorded history. These include the ancient legendary emperors, the attested but undated emperors of the Yamato period (early fifth to early 6th centuries), and the clearly dated emperors of 539 to the present. Political power was held in various eras by regents and shoguns, and since 1946 has been exercised exclusively by the Prime Minister as leader of a representative government.
| Period | Nominal rulers | Effective powers | c |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation–Heian period | Emperors, 660 BC (traditional)–present |
Emperors Soga clan, 530s–645 Fujiwara clan, 850s–1070 Taira clan, 1160s–1185 |
Nara Kyoto |
| Kamakura period | Kamakura Shoguns, 1192–1333 Regents of Kamakura Shogunate, 1203–1333 |
Kamakura | |
| Kemmu restoration | Emperor Go-Daigo, 1333–1336 Ashikaga Takauji, 1333–1336 |
Kyoto | |
| Muromachi period | Ashikaga Shoguns, 1338–1568 (1573) Northern Court Emperors, 1336–1392 Sakai Kubō (Hosokawa and Miyoshi clan), 1527–1532 Regional daimyos, during Sengoku period |
Kyoto | |
| Azuchi-Momoyama period | Oda Nobunaga, 1568–1582 Toyotomi Hideyoshi, 1582–1598 Five Commissioners, 1585–1600 Council of Five Elders, 1598–1600 |
Azuchi Kyoto Osaka |
|
| Edo period | Tokugawa Shoguns, 1603–1867 Tairō of Tokugawa Shogunate, 1636–1865 |
Edo (Tokyo) | |
| After Meiji restoration | Emperors, 1867–1947 Kido Takayoshi, 1867–1877 Saigō Takamori, 1867–1873 Ōkubo Toshimichi, 1867–1878 Prime Ministers, 1885–present Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, 1945–1952 |
Tokyo |
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—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935)
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—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“I do not know that the United States can save civilization but at least by our example we can make people think and give them the opportunity of saving themselves. The trouble is that the people of Germany, Italy and Japan are not given the privilege of thinking.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)