The Governor of Tokyo (東京都知事, Tōkyō-To Chiji) is the head of government of Tokyo.
| Governor of Tokyo | |
|---|---|
| 東京都知事 | |
 Flag of Tokyo | |
| Tokyo Metropolitan Government | |
| Style | Governor (informal) The Honourable (formal) |
| Residence | Tokyo Governor's Mansion (until 2014) |
| Appointer | Direct election |
| Term length | Four years, no term limit |
| Precursor | Governor of Edo Prefecture Governor of Tokyo Prefecture Mayor of Tokyo |
| Formation | May 3, 1947 |
| First holder | Seiichiro Yasui |
| Deputy | Lieutenant Governors of Tokyo |
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, and is elected by the citizens of Tokyo Metropolis every four years, most recently in the 2020 Tokyo gubernatorial election.
As Tokyo has the largest economy and population in the country, government policies can greatly affect national affairs, giving a governor significant influence in the country and a louder voice in the National Governors' Association.
The annual budget of Tokyo is about 13 trillion yen, ten times that of other prefectures and comparable to the national budget of Indonesia, so a governor also has a great deal of influence in the national economy.[1] The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has more than 160,000 employees, making it by far Japan's largest employer.[2]
Qualifications
Candidates must be a citizen of Japan and be a resident of Tokyo for more than three months, and must be over the age of 30. Candidates must also put up three million yen to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which will only be returned if they receive at least 10% of the votes.[3]
List
Appointed, Tokyo Prefecture (1869–1943)
- Karasumaru Mitsue (1868)
- Ōki Takatō (1868–1869)
- Mibu Motoosa (1869–1871)
- Yuri Kimimasa (1871–1872)
- Ōkubo Ichiō (1872–1875)
- Kusumoto Masataka (1875–1879)
- Matsuda Michiyuki (1879–1882)
- Yoshikawa Akimasa (1882–1885)
- Watanabe Hiromoto (1885–1886)
- Takasaki Goroku (1886–1890)
- Marquis Hachisuka Mochiaki (1890–1891)
- Tomita Tetsunosuke (1891–1893)
- Miura Yasushi (1893–1896)
- Marquis Koga Michitsune (1896–1897)
- Viscount Okabe Nagamoto (1897–1898)
- Koizuka Ryū (1898)
- Baron Senge Takatomi (1898–1908)
- Hiroshi Abe (governor) (1908–1912, 1st time)
- Hiroshi Abe (1919–1921, 2nd time)
- Usami Katsuo (1921–1925)
Appointed, Tokyo Metropolis (1943–1947)
- Shigeo Ōdachi (1943–1944)
- Toshizō Nishio (1944–1945)
- Hisatada Hirose (1945–1946)
- Shōhei Fujinuma (1946)
- Haruo Matsui (1946)
- Seiichirō Yasui (1946–1947)
- Kazumi Iinuma (1947)
Elected, Tokyo Metropolis (1947–present)
| No. | Portrait | Name (born – died) | Term of office | Party | Election | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Seiichiro Yasui (1881–1962) | May 3, 1947 | April 18, 1959 | Liberal Democratic | 1947 1951 1955 | |
| 2 |  | Ryutaro Azuma (1889–1964) | April 27, 1959 | April 22, 1967 | Independent[a] | 1959 1963 | |
| 3 |  | Ryokichi Minobe (1904–1984) | April 23, 1967 | April 22, 1979 | Independent[b] | 1967 1971 1975 | |
| 4 |  | Shunichi Suzuki (1910–2010) | April 23, 1979 | April 22, 1995 | Independent | 1979 1983 1987 1991 | |
| 5 | Yukio Aoshima (1932–2006) | April 23, 1995 | April 22, 1999 | Independent | 1995 | ||
| 6 |  | Shintaro Ishihara (1932–2022) | April 23, 1999 | October 31, 2012 | Independent[c] | 1999 | |
| 7 | .jpg) | Naoki Inose (1946–) | December 18, 2012 | December 24, 2013 | Independent[d] | 2012 | |
| 8 | .jpg) | Yōichi Masuzoe (1948–) | February 11, 2014 | June 21, 2016 | Independent[c] | 2014 | |
| 9 | .jpg) | Yuriko Koike (1952–) | August 2, 2016 | Incumbent | Independent[e] | 2016 | |