Tokyo

Government

In 1932, the city limits of Tokyo were broadened to coincide with the prefectural boundaries, except in the west, where a county system persisted. The rest of the prefecture is divided into wards. In 1943 Tokyo was made a metropolitan prefecture, constituting a special administrative unit, known as Tokyo Metropolis, comprising 23 wards, 26 cities, seven towns, and eight villages. Hence, the city of Tokyo is a technical misnomer, since city and prefecture were combined in the creation of the metropolitan prefecture. The county section now consists largely of incorporated cities, all of which have mayors. Legislative authority in the metropolis belongs to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, numbering 127 members elected for terms of four years. The prefectural governor is the principal elected official and presides over several administrative commissions and their commissioners, including the fire department and public works departments. Each ward elects a council and a ward head who deal with certain local matters.