The TMPD is headed by a Superintendent-General, who is appointed by the National Public Safety Commission and approved by the Prime Minister.

[5] By the 1880s, the police had developed into a nationwide instrument of government control, and their increasing involvement in political affairs was one of the foundations of the authoritarian state in the Empire of Japan during the first half of the 20th century.

[7] In 1978, the TMPD was investigated when a uniformed officer killed a female university student inside her residence.

[9] The TMPD is under the command of a Superintendent-General and reports directly to the Tokyo Metropolitan Public Safety Commission.

The Superintendent-General can be appointed and replaced at any time as long as the prime minister and the TMPSC receives their approval.