Unemployment rate during each prime minister's tenure
Every prime minister since 1991, ranked by how the unemployment rate changed from their first day in office. Politare shows what happened during a tenure; it does not claim the office-holder caused it.
| # | Prime minister | In office | Total | Per year | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LDP Tarō Asō | 24 Sep 2008 – 16 Sep 2009 | +1.3 pp Aug 2008 → Aug 2009 | +1.3 pp/yr | |
| 2 | LDP Keizō Obuchi | 30 Jul 1998 – 5 Apr 2000 | +0.8 pp Jun 1998 → Mar 2000 | +0.5 pp/yr | |
| 3 | LDP Ryutaro Hashimoto | 11 Jan 1996 – 30 Jul 1998 | +0.7 pp Dec 1995 → Jun 1998 | +0.3 pp/yr | |
| 4 | SDP Tomiichi Murayama | 30 Jun 1994 – 11 Jan 1996 | +0.6 pp May 1994 → Dec 1995 | +0.4 pp/yr | |
| 5 | LDP Kiichi Miyazawa | 5 Nov 1991 – 9 Aug 1993 | +0.5 pp Oct 1991 → Jul 1993 | +0.3 pp/yr | |
| 6 | LDP Yasuo Fukuda | 26 Sep 2007 – 24 Sep 2008 | +0.4 pp Aug 2007 → Aug 2008 | +0.4 pp/yr | |
| 7 | LDP Yoshirō Mori | 5 Apr 2000 – 26 Apr 2001 | −0.1 pp Mar 2000 → Mar 2001 | −0.1 pp/yr | |
| 8 | LDP Fumio Kishida | 10 Nov 2021 – 11 Nov 2024 | −0.2 pp Oct 2021 → Oct 2024 | −0.1 pp/yr | |
| 9 | LDP Yoshihide Suga | 16 Sep 2020 – 10 Nov 2021 | −0.3 pp Aug 2020 → Oct 2021 | −0.3 pp/yr | |
| 10 | LDP Shinzō Abe | 26 Sep 2006 – 26 Sep 2007 | −0.4 pp Aug 2006 → Aug 2007 | −0.4 pp/yr |
Showing 10 of 14 tenures.
Sorted by total, highest first. Every row is indexed to the last month complete before the first day in office ("from" marks a start that had to move because that period had no data, or because the period cut it); Levels are per cent changes, rates are differences in pp; "per year" compounds levels and divides rates. Tenures with under 12 months, or under three observations, are left out. % of labour force · Statistics Bureau of Japan labour force survey via the OECD (infra-annual labour statistics), 15 and over, seasonally adjusted · Japan data · as of Sep 2026.