It was organized into the town of Fukawa and the villages of Fumi, and Momma within Kitasōma District, Ibaraki Prefecture with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

The modern town of Tone was founded by the merger of Fukawa with Fumi and Momma on January 1, 1955.

Tone has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members.

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

Discussions for a merger with neighboring Ryūgasaki were suspended in 2005, partly due to the town's high debt burden and increasingly poor revenue base.