Kumamoto Prefecture Ōzu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall.

Ōzu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 16 members.

Ōzu, collectively with the other municipalities of Kikuchi District contributes two members to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly.

In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Kumamoto 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

[5] In 2024, after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) chose neighbouring Kikuyō as the location to build its second Japanese plant, Ōzu experienced the sharpest increase in commercial and industrial land prices of any area of Japan for the period ending July 1.

Ōzu’s location on the edge of the caldera that surrounds Mount Aso provides scenic views, and access to the mountain.