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 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

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.
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