Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly

The is the prefectural parliament of Tokyo Metropolis.

Its 127 members are elected every four years in 42 districts by single non-transferable vote. 23 electoral districts equal the special wards, another 18 districts are made up by the cities, towns and villages in the Western part of the prefecture, one district consists of the outlying islands (Ogasawara and Izu Islands).

The assembly is responsible for enacting and amending prefectural ordinances, approving the budget (5.7 billion yen in fiscal 2007) and voting on important administrative appointments made by the governor including the vice governors.

Due to the special nature of the Tokyo Metropolis compared to other prefectures, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly has certain powers that would usually fall into the responsibilities of municipal parliaments. This is to ensure efficient and unified urban administration for the 23 special wards that cover the former Tokyo City and comprise the urban core of the Greater Tokyo Area.

Current composition

The 2024 Tokyo gubernatorial election took place on 7 July 2024. As of 18 July 2025, the assembly is composed as follows: Composition of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly 会派構成・会派略称一覧｜東京都議会. Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, 23 July 2021. Web. http://www.gikai.metro.tokyo.jp/outline/factional.html. Accessed 23 July 2021.Parliamentary group andparty majority of members come from (if any)SeatsTomin fāsuto no kai Tōkyō togi-dan ("Tokyo Metropolis residents first group Tokyo Metropolitan Government")KAGAYAKE TokyoTomin First no Kai 32Rikkenminshutō ("Metropolitan Assembly Constitutional Democratic Party")Constitutional Democratic Party 22Tōkyō-togikai jiyūminshutō ("Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Liberal Democratic Party")Liberal Democratic Party 22Togikai Kōmeitō ("Metropolitan Assembly Komeito")Kōmeitō 19Nihon kyōsantō Tōkyō-togikai giin-dan ("Japanese Communist Party Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly members group")Communist Party 14Kokumin Minshu-tō ("Democratic Party For the People")Democratic Party For the People 9Sanseitō ("Party of Do it Yourself!!")Sanseitō 3Jiyū o Mamoru Kai ("Association for the Protection of Freedom") 2 Independents 4Total127

Electoral districts Most electoral districts correspond to current municipalities, but several districts correspond to former counties (the counties, abolished as administrative unit in 1921, had initially by definition served as electoral districts for prefectural assemblies in the Empire), namely the West Tama (Nishi-Tama), North Tama (Kita-Tama) and South Tama (Minami-Tama) counties. The towns and villages on the islands have never been subordinate to counties, but to four subprefectures that together form the islands electoral district.

Electoral districtsTokyo Electoral Commission: Prefectural electoral districts Special wards of Tokyo and Tokyo Islands Western Tokyo/Tama area District Municipalities, subprefectures Magnitude District Municipalities, counties Magnitude Chiyoda Chiyoda ward 1 Hachiōji Hachiōji city 5 Chūō Chūō ward 1 Tachikawa Tachikawa city 2 Minato Minato ward 2 Musashino Musashino city 1 Shinjuku Shinjuku ward 4 Mitaka Mitaka city 2 Bunkyō Bunkyō ward 2 Ōme Ōme city 1 Taitō Taitō ward 2 Fuchū Fuchū city 2 Sumida Sumida ward 3 Akishima Akishima city 1 Kōtō Kōtō ward 4 Machida Machida city 3 Shinagawa Shinagawa ward 4 Koganei Koganei city 1 Meguro Meguro ward 3 Kodaira Kodaira city 2 Ōta Ōta ward 8 Hino Hino city 2 Setagaya Setagaya ward 8 Nishitōkyō Nishitōkyō city 2 Shibuya Shibuya ward 2 Nishi-Tama (West Tama) Fussa cityHamura cityAkiruno cityNishi-Tama County 2 Nakano Nakano ward 4 Suginami Suginami ward 6 Minami-Tama (South Tama) Tama cityInagi city 2 Toshima Toshima ward 3 Kita Kita ward 4 Kita-Tama (North Tama) 1 Higashimurayama cityHigashiyamato cityMusashimurayama city 3 Arakawa Arakawa ward 2 Itabashi Itabashi ward 5 Kita-Tama (North Tama) 2 Kokubunji cityKunitachi city 2 Nerima Nerima ward 6 Adachi Adachi ward 6 Kita-Tama (North Tama) 3 Chōfu cityKomae city 2 Katsushika Katsushika ward 4 Edogawa Edogawa ward 5 Kita-Tama (North Tama) 4 Kiyose cityHigashikurume city 2 Islands Tokyo Islands(Ōshima SubprefectureMiyake SubprefectureHachijō SubprefectureOgasawara Subprefecture) 1

Incidents

Heckling incident On June 18, 2014, an assemblywoman, Ayaka Shiomura, was heckled in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly meeting when she asked questions about how to save women who have difficulty in pregnancy and childbirth. The comments were and . When assembly member was asked whether he was one of the hecklers, he denied heckling Shiomura. After the LDP identified Suzuki as the heckler on June 23, he came forward and made a formal, public apology, admitting he was one of the people who heckled Shiomura. Suzuki claimed responsibility for the first comment, but it was not clear who stated the latter. Yōichi Masuzoe, the Governor of Tokyo Metropolis, and fellow assembly member, apparently took part in the heckling. Other hecklers never came forward. On June 25, the assembly passed a resolution, aiming to restore trust, and settle the issue.

Reactions Some believe that heckling can "give humor" and make discussion smooth and thus view heckling positively. Morita Minoru, a Japanese political commentator, pointed out that the number of "vulgar heckles" has increased. Some argue sexism is a major reason. For example, Tabojin Toshio, who oversaw for the latest Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, said that he did not understand why this is considered sexism (2014).

Several members of Abe's cabinet criticized the incident - then-chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga encouraged the Assembly to "clean up its act", while health minister Norihisa Tamura and Minister of State for the Declining Birthrate Masako Mori respectively described the comments as "deeply disrespectful to women" and "totally unacceptable". The Guardian, Reuters, and the Wall Street Journal reported on and analyzed the incident.

Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly

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