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Ryōtarō Azuma
東 龍太郎
Governor of Tokyo
In office
23 April 1959 – 22 April 1967
Preceded bySeiichirō Yasui
Succeeded byRyokichi Minobe
President of Ibaraki University
In office
1 October 1953 – 18 September 1958
Preceded byKyōhei Suzuki
Succeeded byTadashi Futakata (acting)
Personal details
Born(1893-01-16)January 16, 1893
Osaka, Japan
DiedMay 26, 1983(1983-05-26) (aged 90)
Spouse
Teruko Azuma
​
(m. 1919)​
Alma materTokyo Imperial University

Ryōtarō Azuma (東 龍太郎, Azuma Ryōtarō, January 16, 1893 – May 26, 1983) was a Japanese physician and bureaucrat who served as Governor of Tokyo from 1959 to 1967.[1] In 1950, Azuma became a member of the international Olympic Committee (IOC).[2]

Education

Born in Osaka, he attended Tokyo Imperial University and studied at the University of London, specializing in physical chemistry and physiology.[2]

Career

He served in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, took a position in the Health Ministry after the war, and later became head of Ibaraki University.[3] In the 1950s he served as head of the Japanese Olympic Committee and played a role in bringing the 1964 Summer Olympics to Tokyo.[4][5][6]

In 1959, he was nominated as the Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Tokyo gubernatorial election. He defeated Socialist candidate Hachirō Arita and took office on April 27. Much of his legacy as governor surrounds the improvements to Tokyo before and during the 1964 Olympics, and accompanying pollution and administrative issues.[2]

Personal life

In 1919, he married Teruko, a daughter of Yamakawa Kenjirō.

He is interred in the Tama Reien Cemetery in Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan.[2][5][6]

References

  1. ^ "歴代市長、長官、知事". Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Biographical information". Olympedia. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  3. ^ "歴代学長". Ibaraki University. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  4. ^ Barker, Philip (7 February 2020). "The doctor who made the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games possible". Inside the games. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  5. ^ a b Odeven, Ed (24 August 2013). "A look back at when Tokyo was awarded 1964 Olympics". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Ryotaro Azuma Is Dead at 90; A Former Governor of Tokyo". The New York Times. 27 May 1983. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
Political offices Preceded bySeiichirō Yasui Governor of Tokyo 1959–1967 Succeeded byRyokichi Minobe Sporting positions Preceded byRyōzō Hiranuma President of the Japan Amateur Athletic Association 1947–1958 Succeeded byJuichi Tsushima President of the Japanese Olympic Committee 1947–1958 Preceded byHitoshi Kihara President of the Ski Association of Japan 1968–1975 Succeeded byMotohiko Ban Academic offices Preceded byKyōhei Suzuki President of Ibaraki University 1953–1958 Succeeded byTadashi FutakataActing Other offices Preceded byTadashi Adachi President of the Japan Good Deed Association 1961–1965 Succeeded byKeizō Hayashi Preceded bySeiichirō Yasui President of the Japan Good Deed Association 1972–1983 Succeeded byTadashi Adachi Preceded byJitsuzō Kawanishi President of the Japanese Red Cross Society 1968–1978 Succeeded byKeizō Hayashi
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