The is the head of government of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. In 1943, upon the unification of Tokyo City and Tokyo Prefecture, the position of Governor was created. The current title was adopted in 1947 due to the enactment of the Local Autonomy Law.

Overview

The Governor of Tokyo is the head of the

Tokyo Metropolitan Government The is the government of the Tokyo Metropolis. One of the 56 prefectures of Japan, the government consists of a popularly elected governor and assembly. The headquarters building is located in the ward of Shinjuku. The metropolitan government ...

, and is elected by the citizens of

Tokyo Metropolis Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. The election is held every four years, the most recent one being the 2020 Tokyo gubernatorial election. As

has the largest economy and population in the country, the Governor's policies can greatly affect national affairs, giving them significant influence in the country. This also gives the Governor's voice in the National Governors' Association more weight. The annual budget of

is about 13 trillion yen, 10 times more than other prefectures and comparable to the national budget of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. The Governor of Tokyo Metropolis is said to have a great deal of influence in the national economy as well.In addition, the

has more than 160,000 employees, making it by far the largest in the country.

Qualifications

Candidates must be a citizen of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and be a resident of

for more than three months, and must be over the age of 30. Candidates must also put up three million yen to the

, which will only be returned if they receive at least 10% of the votes.

List of governors of Tokyo Metropolis

Appointed governors of Tokyo Prefecture (1869–1943)

* Karasumaru Mitsue (1868) *

Ōki Takatō , was a Japanese statesman during the early Meiji period. He was Governor of Tokyo in 1868 and a member of the Japanese Privy Council in 1889.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ōki Takatō" in . Biography Ōki was born into a ''samurai' ...

(1868–1869) *

Mibu Motoosa 270px, Mibu Toy Museum is a town located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 39,158 in 16,149 households, and a population density of 640 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Geography Mibu is l ...

(1869–1871) *

Yuri Kimimasa Viscount was a statesman in Meiji period Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Yuri Kimimasa" in . During the Meiji Restoration he used the alias Life and career Yuri was a '' samurai'' born in Fukui, Echizen Province (present-da ...

(1871–1872) *

Ōkubo Ichiō , also Okubo, Ohkubo and Ookubo, is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Ōkubo clan **Ōkubo Tadayo (1532–1594), Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku period **Ōkubo Tadasuke (1537–1613), Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku an ...

(1872–1875) *

Kusumoto Masataka (April 14, 1838 – February 7, 1902) was a Japanese Home Ministry government official. He was a member of the House of Representatives of the Empire of Japan and its third speaker. Previously, he was governor of Niigata Prefecture (1872–1875) ...

(1875–1879) *

Matsuda Michiyuki was a Japanese bureaucrat and statesman, active in the Meiji period of Imperial Japan. Matsuda was governor of Shiga Prefecture from 1871 to 1875, and governor of Tokyo from 1879 to 1882. Matsuda was sent to Ryukyu in 1879. He abolished Ryukyu ...

(1879–1882) *

Yoshikawa Akimasa Count was a Japanese bureaucrat, statesman and cabinet minister, active in Meiji- and Taishō-period Japan. Biography Yoshikawa was born in Yamakawa, Awa Province (currently Yoshinogawa, Tokushima) as the son of a local ''samurai''. After t ...

(1882–1885) * Watanabe Hiromoto (1885–1886) *

Takasaki Goroku is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 372,369 in 167,345 households, and a population density of 810 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Takasaki is famous as the hometown of th ...

(1886–1890) *

Marquis A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

Hachisuka Mochiaki was the 14th and final ''daimyō'' of Tokushima Domain, Awa Province, and the 2nd President of the House of Peers in Meiji period Japan. Early life Hachisuka was born at the Hachisuka domain residence in Edo, as the eldest son of the 13t ...

(1890–1891) *

Tomita Tetsunosuke was a Japanese businessman, 2nd Governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ), and Governor of Tokyo.Singer, Isidore. (1910). Biography Tomita was born in Sendai Domain (modern Miyagi Prefecture), as the fourth son of a samurai retainer to the Date ...

(1891–1893) * Miura Yasushi (1893–1896) *Marquis

Koga Michitsune KOGA is a Dutch bicycle manufacturer based in Heerenveen, Friesland. The company is known for its long time partnership with Japanese frame manufacturer Miyata, producing bicycles and sponsoring racing teams under the brand name Koga Miyata. As ...

(1896–1897) *

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

Okabe Nagamoto Okabe may refer to: * Okabe (surname), a Japanese surname * Okabe, Shizuoka, a former town in Japan that was merged into the expanded city of Fujieda * Okabe, Saitama, a former town in Japan that was merged into the expanded city of Fukaya * Okab ...

(1897–1898) * Koizuka Ryū (1898) *

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

Senge Takatomi Senge is an a capella vocal group from southern Madagascar. The group was formed as a male trio that performed the ''beko'' polyharmonic style of the Tandroy people, occasionally accompanied by an eight-piece acoustic band featuring traditional in ...

(1898–1908) *

Abe Hiroshi (governor) Hiroshi Abe is the name of: People * Hiroshi Abe (actor) (born 1964), Japanese model and actor * Hiroshi Abe (astronomer) (born 1958), Japanese amateur astronomer affiliated with the Yatsuka Observatory * Hiroshi Abe (war criminal) (born c.1922) ...

(1908–1912, 1st time) *Abe Hiroshi (1919–1921, 2nd time) *

Usami Katsuo Usami (written: 宇佐美) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese long-distance runner *, Japanese volleyball player *Fumio Usami Fumio Usami (born July 7, 1968) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He compete ...

(1921–1925)

Appointed governors of Tokyo Metropolis (1943–1947)

Shigeo Ōdachi was a bureaucrat, politician and cabinet minister in both early Shōwa period Japan and in the post-war era. Biography Ōdachi was born in what is now Hamada, Shimane, as the younger son of a local ''sake'' brewer. After his graduation in 1916 ...

(1943–1944) *

Toshizō Nishio was a Japanese general, considered to be one of the Imperial Japanese Army's most successful and ablest strategists during the Second Sino-Japanese War, who commanded the Japanese Second Army during the first years after the Marco Polo Bridge In ...

(1944–1945) * Hisatada Hirose (1945–1946) *

Shōhei Fujinuma was a Japanese era name, Japanese era (年號, ''nengō'', lit. year name) of the Southern Court during the Nanboku-cho, Era of Northern and Southern Courts after Kōkoku and before Kentoku. This period spanned the years from December 1346 to J ...

(1946) * Haruo Matsui (1946) * Seiichirō Yasui (1946–1947) * Kazumi Iinuma (1947)

Elected governors of Tokyo Metropolis (1947–present)

* Seiichiro Yasui (1947–1959) *

Ryotaro Azuma was a Japanese physician and bureaucrat who served as Governor of Tokyo from 1959 to 1967. In 1950, Azuma became a member of the international Olympic Committee (IOC). Education Born in Osaka, he attended Tokyo Imperial University and studied ...

(1959–1967) *

Ryokichi Minobe was a Japanese politician who served as Governor of Tokyo from 1967 to 1979. He is one of the best known socialist figures in modern Japanese history. Early life Minobe was born in Tokyo. His father, Tatsukichi Minobe, was a noted constitutional ...

(1967–1979) * Shunichi Suzuki (1979–1995) *

Yukio Aoshima was a Japanese politician who served as Governor of Tokyo from 1995 to 1999. He is also well known as a TV actor, novelist, film director, screenwriter and songwriter. Early life and artistic career Yukio was born in Nihonbashi ward of Tok ...

(1995–1999) *

Shintaro Ishihara was a Japanese politician and writer who was Governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012. Being the former leader of the radical right Japan Restoration Party, he was one of the most prominent ultranationalists in modern Japanese politics. An ultra ...

(1999–2012) *

Naoki Inose is a Japanese politician, journalist, historian, social critic and biographer of literary figures such as Yukio Mishima and Osamu Dazai. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Tokyo from June 2007Jun Hongo"Ishihara's new right-hand man settles in."'' ...

(2012–2013) *

Yōichi Masuzoe is a Japanese politician who was elected to the position of governor of Tokyo in 2014 and resigned in June 2016 due to the misuse of public funds. He was previously a member of the Japanese House of Councillors and the Japanese Minister of Heal ...

(2014–2016) *

Yuriko Koike is a Japanese politician who currently serves as the Governor of Tokyo since 2016. She graduated from the American University in Cairo in 1976 and was a member of the House of Representatives of Japan from 1993 until 2016, when she resigned to ...

(2016–present)

References

{{Authority control Politics of Japan Politics of Tokyo