| Post: | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court |
| Body: | Japan 最高裁判所長官 |
| Insignia: | Goshichi no kiri.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 80px |
| Insigniacaption: | Emblem of the Government of Japan |
| Incumbent: | Yukihiko Imasaki |
| Incumbentsince: | 16 August 2024 |
| Department: | Supreme Court of Japan |
| Style: | His Excellency Your Honor The Honourable |
| Member Of: | Supreme Court of Japan |
| Appointer: | HIM The Emperor |
| Appointer Qualified: | Nominated by the Cabinet |
| Termlength: | Life tenure until the mandatory retirement age of 70 |
| First: | Tadahiko Mibuchi |
| Salary: | ¥24,120,000 |
| Website: | www.courts.go.jp |
The is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Japan and is the head of the judicial branch of the Japanese government.
The Chief Justice is ceremonially appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being nominated by the Cabinet; in practice, this is following the recommendation of the retiring Chief Justice.[1]
| Name | Kanji | Appointment date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tadahiko Mibuchi | 三淵忠彦 | August 4, 1947 | |
| Kōtarō Tanaka | 田中耕太郎 | March 3, 1950 | |
| Kisaburo Yokota | 横田喜三郎 | October 25, 1960 | |
| Masatoshi Yokota | 横田正俊 | August 6, 1966 | |
| Kazuto Ishida | 石田和外 | January 11, 1969 | |
| Tomokazu Murakami | 村上朝一 | May 21, 1973 | |
| 藤林益三 | May 25, 1976 | ||
| Masao Okahara | 岡原昌男 | August 26, 1977 | |
| Takaaki Hattori | 服部高顯 | April 2, 1979 | |
| Jiro Terada | 寺田治郎 | October 1, 1982 | |
| Koichi Yaguchi | 矢口洪一 | November 5, 1985 | |
| Ryohachi Kusaba | 草場良八 | February 20, 1990 | |
| Toru Miyoshi | 三好達 | November 7, 1995 | |
| Shigeru Yamaguchi | 山口繁 | October 31, 1997 | |
| 町田顯 | November 6, 2002 | ||
| 島田仁郎 | October 16, 2006 | ||
| Hironobu Takesaki | 竹崎博允 | November 21, 2008 | |
| 寺田逸郎 | April 1, 2014 | ||
| Naoto Ōtani | 大谷直人 | January 9, 2018 | |
| 戸倉三郎 | June 24, 2022 | ||
| Yukihiko Imasaki | 今崎幸彦 | August 16, 2024 |