Governor of Tokyo

Governor of Tokyo
東京都知事
Flag of Tokyo
Incumbent
Yuriko Koike
since 1 August 2016
Tokyo Metropolitan Government
StyleGovernor (informal)
The Honourable (formal)
ResidenceTokyo Governor's Mansion (until 2014)
AppointerDirect election
Term lengthFour years, no term limit
PrecursorGovernor of Edo Prefecture
Governor of Tokyo Prefecture
Mayor of Tokyo
FormationMay 3, 1947; 77 years ago (1947-05-03)
First holderSeiichiro Yasui
DeputyLieutenant Governors of Tokyo

The Governor of Tokyo (東京都知事, Tōkyō-To Chiji) is the head of government of Tokyo.

In 1943, upon the unification of Tokyo City and Tokyo Prefecture into Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the position of Governor was created. Previously, the prefecture had a Governor while the City had a Mayor. 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 2024 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

Main article: Tokyo Metropolitan Government § Governor

Appointed, Tokyo Prefecture (1869–1943)

Appointed, Tokyo Metropolis (1943–1947)

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
(1893–1983) 		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

2003

2007

2011

7 Naoki Inose
(1946–) 		December 18, 2012 December 24, 2013 Independent[d] 2012
8 Yōichi Masuzoe
(1948–) 		February 11, 2014 June 21, 2016 Independent[c] 2014
9 Yuriko Koike
(1952–) 		August 2, 2016 Incumbent Independent[e] 2016

2020

2024

Notes

  1. ^ Elected with the support of the LDP.
  2. ^ First elected with the support of the Japan Socialist Party and Japan Communist Party.
  3. ^ a b Elected with the support of the LDP and New Komeito.
  4. ^ Elected with the support of the LDP, New Komeito, and Restoration.
  5. ^ Elected with the support of the Tomin First in 2020.

References

  1. ^ "GDP by Country - Worldometer". www.worldometers.info.
  2. ^ "予算13兆円、職員16万人…東京都知事の権力と影響力（THE PAGE）". Yahoo!ニュース.
  3. ^ Fukada, Takahiro (February 8, 2011). "The second-most powerful job". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2022.