Governor of Tokyo

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Governor of Tokyo
東京都知事
Flag of Tokyo
Standard of the Governor
Incumbent Yuriko Koike since 1 August 2016
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; 74 years ago (1947-05-03)
Deputy	Lieutenant Governors of Tokyo

The Governor of Tokyo (東京都知事, Tokyo-To Chiji) is the head of government 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. The election is held every four years, the most recent one being the 2020 Tokyo gubernatorial election.

As Tokyo has the largest economy and has the largest population in the country, the Governor's policies can greatly affect national affairs, therefore 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 Tokyo is about 13 trillion yen, 10 times more than other prefectures and comparable to the national budget of Indonesia. The Governor of Tokyo Metropolis is said to have a great deal of influence in the national economy as well.^[1]In addition, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has more than 160,000 employees, making it by far the largest in the country.^[2]

Tokyo collects 40% of national tax revenue, about 90% of stock sales, 40% of bank loan balances. The GDP of Tokyo is said to be around 106.6 trillion yen (FY2018), which is equivalent to the 17th largest in the world. Furthermore, many head offices of TV stations, publishers, news agencies, and internet providers are located in Tokyo, allowing the Governor to send out messages to the whole country and to the world.^[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 of Governors of Tokyo Metropolis[]

Appointed Governors of Tokyo Prefecture (1869–1943)[]

• (1868)
• Ōki Takatō (1868–1869)
• (1869–1871)
• Yuri Kimimasa (1871–1872)
• (1872–1875)
• Kusumoto Masataka (1875–1879)
• Matsuda Michiyuki (1879–1882)
• Yoshikawa Akimasa (1882–1885)
• (1885–1886)
• (1886–1890)
• Marquis Hachisuka Mochiaki (1890–1891)
• Tomita Tetsunosuke (1891–1893)
• (1893–1896)
• Marquis (1896–1897)
• Viscount (1897–1898)
• (1898)
• Baron (1898–1908)
• (1908–1912, 1st time)
• Abe Hiroshi (1919–1921, 2nd time)
• (1921–1925)

Appointed Governors of Tokyo Metropolis (1943–1947)[]

• Shigeo Ōdachi (1943–1944)
• Toshizō Nishio (1944–1945)
• (1945–1946)
• (1946)
• (1946)
• (1946–1947)
• (1947)

Elected Governors of Tokyo Metropolis (1947–present)[]

• (1947–1959)
• Ryotaro Azuma (1959–1967)
• Ryokichi Minobe (1967–1979)
• Shunichi Suzuki (1979–1995)
• Yukio Aoshima (1995–1999)
• Shintaro Ishihara (1999–2012)
• Naoki Inose (2012–2013)
• Yōichi Masuzoe (2014–2016)
• Yuriko Koike (2016–present)

References[]