Ryotaro Azuma

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]

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

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. "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. Odeven, Ed (24 August 2013). "A look back at when Tokyo was awarded 1964 Olympics". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
6. "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 by Seiichirō Yasui	Governor of Tokyo 1959–1967	Succeeded by Ryokichi Minobe
Sporting positions
Preceded by Ryōzō Hiranuma	President of the Japan Amateur Athletic Association 1947–1958	Succeeded by Juichi Tsushima
	President of the Japanese Olympic Committee 1947–1958
Preceded by Hitoshi Kihara	President of the Ski Association of Japan 1968–1975	Succeeded by Motohiko Ban
Academic offices
Preceded by Kyōhei Suzuki	President of Ibaraki University 1953–1958	Succeeded by Tadashi Futakata Acting
Other offices
Preceded by Tadashi Adachi	President of the Japan Good Deed Association 1961–1965	Succeeded by Keizō Hayashi
Preceded by Seiichirō Yasui	President of the Japan Good Deed Association 1972–1983	Succeeded by Tadashi Adachi
Preceded by Jitsuzō Kawanishi	President of the Japanese Red Cross Society 1968–1978	Succeeded by Keizō Hayashi