Government of Tokyo

Government Of Tokyo

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is headed by a publicly elected governor and metropolitan assembly. The headquarters building is in the ward of Shinjuku. They govern all of Tokyo prefecture, including lakes, rivers, dams, farms, remote islands, and national parks in addition to its famous neon jungle, skyscrapers and crowded subways. The governor of Tokyo is one of most powerful political figures in Japan, second only to the prime minister. As in all prefectures, the governor is elected every four years directly by the people; he heads the administration and has the right to initiate and veto legislation. Legislation, the budget and the confirmation of important administrative appointments – including the (in Tokyo: four) vice-governors – are handled by the prefectural assembly that is elected to four-year terms by single non-transferable vote in multi- and single-member districts.

Under Japanese law, Tokyo is designated as a to (都), translated as metropolis. Within Tokyo lie dozens of smaller entities, most of them conventionally referred to as cities. It includes twenty-three special wards (特別区 -ku) which until 1943 made up the city of Tokyo but which now have individual local governments, each with a leader and a council. In addition to these 23 local governments, Tokyo also encompasses 26 cities (市 -shi), five towns (町 -chō or machi), and eight villages (村 -son or -mura), each of which has a local government.