以下为日本1926年之前摄政、关白列表。月日为农历。

《日本书纪》记载，神功皇后的丈夫仲哀天皇逝世后，她以皇太后身分代替誉田别皇子（应神天皇）作「摄政」，但皇太后执政或摄政一般称为称制，而神功皇后的真实性也存疑，因此神功皇后多不计算为一位摄政。

7世纪时，摄政被视为王位继承候补者的有力候选人，他们经常干预国政，一般认为厩户皇子（圣德太子）为推古天皇的代行国政为摄政之始。之后，中大兄皇子（天智天皇）为齐明天皇摄政、草壁皇子为天武天皇摄政等也是如此。为区别平安时代之后的人臣摄政，此时代的摄政被称呼为皇亲摄政。

In Japan, Sesshō(摂政) was a title given to a regent who was named to assist either a child emperor before his coming of age, or an empress. The Kampaku(関白) was theoretically a sort of chief advisor for the emperor, but was the title of both first secretary and regent who assists an adult emperor. During the Heian era, they were the effective rulers of Japan. There was little, if any, effective difference between the two titles, and several individuals merely changed titles as child emperors grew to adulthood, or adult emperors retired or died and were replaced by child emperors. The two titles were collectively known as Sekkan(摂関), and the families that exclusively held the titles were called Sekkan-ke or Sekkan family. After the Heian era, shogunates took over the power.