[3] Yukio and his brother Yukitaka went to the United States in 1888 but Ozaki could not endure the temperature extremes and could not sleep in the heat of New York City and Washington, D.C.

[4] In 1890, Ozaki was elected to the First Parliament as a member of the House of Representatives from Mie Prefecture;[3] and he was re-elected 25 times.

[8] He married teacher and folklore author Yei Theodora Ozaki, who was not related to him despite sharing the same surname as her maiden name.

The father of one of these dangerous young men later approached Ozaki to apologize in person for the actions of his son.

As the second elected Mayor of Tokyo after its administration was separated from the surrounding prefectures, he found himself in an arduous and sometimes disagreeable job—but his determination to make the city better produced noticeable results.

Initial infrastructure projects that demanded his attention were wide-ranging: improving water supply and sewage, developing street surfacing, expanding streetcar service, and overseeing gas company mergers.

[13] His mayoral position also provided a more ambiguous range of opportunities that included entertaining foreign dignitaries like US Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan and Britain's Field Marshal Lord Kitchener.

[21] Starting in 1996, a yearly Gakudo Award has been "presented to individuals or organizations active in issues including the promotion of democracy, disarmament and human rights".