1940:
1929:
19:
314:, in order to facilitate such mergers to reduce administrative costs. Many municipalities gained city status under this eased standard. On the other hand, the municipalities recently gained the city status purely as a result of increase of population without expansion of area are limited to those listed in
419:-ken and Hokkai-dō which were not yet fully equal prefectures in the Empire, major urban settlements remained organized as urban districts until the 1920s: Naha-ku and Shuri-ku, the two urban districts of Okinawa were only turned into
414:
since 1878. Initially, there were 39 cities in 1889: only one in most prefectures, two in a few (Yamagata, Toyama, Osaka, Hyōgo, Fukuoka), and none in some – Miyazaki became the last prefecture to contain its first city in 1924. In
379:, which constitute the core of the Tokyo metropolitan area, each have an administrative status analogous to that of cities. Tokyo also has several other incorporated cities, towns and villages within its jurisdiction.
315:
289:
A city can theoretically be demoted to a town or village when it fails to meet any of these conditions, but such a demotion has not happened to date. The least populous city,
434:, their number almost doubled during the "great Shōwa mergers" of the 1950s and continued to grow so that it surpassed the number of towns in the early 21st century (see the
435:
152:
585:
563:
548:
596:
75:
673:
311:
283:
1636:
476:
335:
145:
1506:
977:
574:
138:
338:. These statuses expand the scope of administrative authority delegated from the prefectural government to the city government.
310:, the standard of 50,000 inhabitants for the city status has been eased to 30,000 if such population is gained as a result of a
704:
483:
1279:
793:
1153:
1390:
502:
275:
At least 60% of households must be employed in commerce, industry or other urban occupations (商工業等の都市的業態に従事する世帯人口が全人口の6割以上)
1449:
1773:
1397:
1412:
1176:
582:
560:
545:
29:
1469:
1380:
1531:
1407:
1239:
728:
717:
593:
265:
Article 8 of the Local
Autonomy Law sets the following conditions for a municipality to be designated as a city:
1964:
1476:
559:
itself as the law was decreed by the government in 1888 before the
Imperial constitution took effect in 1890),
1094:
1234:
788:
1417:
1229:
776:
670:
1040:
498:
1666:
1336:
1209:
1181:
965:
697:
546:
List of changes to the law and deliberative histories in the
Imperial Diet of the laws that changed it
1846:
1560:
1442:
1402:
1324:
1274:
1136:
1106:
1025:
923:
798:
783:
110:
1969:
1661:
1572:
1370:
1353:
1259:
1244:
1148:
1116:
1089:
1536:
1464:
1454:
1331:
1264:
1063:
457:
447:
94:
85:
66:
57:
278:
Any other conditions set by prefectural ordinance must be satisfied (他に当該都道府県の条例で定める要件を満たしていること)
1521:
1358:
1269:
1249:
970:
813:
808:
803:
376:
105:
100:
571:
1889:
1821:
1811:
1713:
1651:
1617:
1587:
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1341:
1309:
861:
690:
538:
187:
948:
1904:
1646:
1385:
1346:
1254:
1214:
831:
354:
331:
80:
43:
272:
At least 60% of households must be established in a central urban area (中心市街地の戸数が全戸数の6割以上)
8:
1894:
1826:
1816:
1699:
1577:
1459:
1429:
1126:
290:
638:
1836:
1748:
1671:
1624:
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1541:
1314:
1224:
1197:
1068:
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998:
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916:
416:
408:
254:
235:
1758:
1656:
1629:
1602:
1293:
1050:
1035:
933:
761:
294:
216:
646:"Japan's Evolving Nested Municipal Hierarchy: The Race for Local Power in the 2000s"
480:
1899:
1738:
1691:
1676:
1612:
1494:
1437:
1319:
938:
743:
733:
657:
327:
866:
1763:
1733:
1728:
1641:
1607:
1526:
1111:
1030:
1010:
911:
771:
677:
624:
Zenkoku shichōkai (全国市長会; nationwide association of city and special ward mayors)
600:
589:
578:
567:
552:
487:
836:
1943:
1879:
1831:
1788:
1681:
1582:
960:
766:
195:
126:
1958:
1841:
1753:
1742:
1511:
1375:
1131:
1084:
856:
1933:
1909:
1852:
1718:
1546:
1365:
890:
878:
873:
851:
846:
841:
612:
330:
can designate cities of at least 200,000 inhabitants to have the status of
293:, has a population of three thousand, while a town in the same prefecture,
1101:
928:
662:
645:
514:
1121:
885:
431:
955:
671:"Large City System of Japan"; graphic shows Japanese city types at p. 1
424:
253:. Like other contemporary administrative units, they are defined by the
1778:
1143:
1045:
993:
906:
639:
Directory of current
Japanese city leaders and outline of system (2012)
452:
350:
300:
Under the Act on
Special Provisions concerning Merger of Municipalities
430:
By 1945, the number of cities countrywide had increased to 205. After
1868:
1171:
1015:
1005:
1862:
613:
Timeline of number of municipalities since the Great Meiji mergers
316:
List of former towns or villages gained city status alone in Japan
1874:
1801:
1796:
682:
427:
were converted into district-independent cities in August 1922.
407:
that had existed as primary subdivisions of prefectures besides
282:
The designation is approved by the prefectural governor and the
1884:
1806:
1783:
1768:
1723:
1057:
353:
until 1943, but is now legally classified as a special type of
18:
1858:
1708:
1704:
713:
544:(日本法令索引, "Index of Japanese laws and ordinances"): Entry 市制,
346:
269:
Population must generally be 50,000 or greater (原則として人口5万人以上)
191:
623:
436:
List of mergers and dissolutions of municipalities in Japan
420:
438:). As of October 1 2018, there are 792 cities of Japan.
234:, with the difference that they are not a component of
572:
Legislative history of the bill in the
Imperial Diet
321:
1956:
391:, 市制) of 1888 during the "Great Meiji mergers" (
284:Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications
477:Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
423:-shi and Shuri-shi in May 1921, and six -ku of
366:
246:
227:
206:
177:
387:Cities were introduced under the "city code" (
360:
303:
240:
221:
200:
171:
22:Cities of Japan (without Hokkaido and Okinawa)
698:
146:
501:, Japanese Law Translation Database System:
705:
691:
153:
139:
661:
194:. Cities are ranked on the same level as
570:& entry for the revised 市制 of 1911,
17:
978:Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)
1957:
643:
686:
13:
1154:2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
712:
341:
14:
1981:
1021:Imperial Constitution (1890–1947)
632:
479:, e-gov database of legal texts:
1939:
1938:
1927:
561:List of other laws changed by it
322:Classifications for large cities
555:(no legislative history of the
312:merger of towns and/or villages
1507:Agriculture, forestry, fishing
617:
605:
532:
507:
492:
470:
260:
1:
463:
7:
1095:1923 Great Kantō earthquake
1041:Abolition of the han system
583:Laws changing/abolishing it
441:
367:
297:, has over forty thousand.
247:
228:
207:
178:
10:
1986:
382:
1922:
1690:
1568:
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1428:
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1292:
1205:
1196:
1164:
1107:Japan during World War II
1077:
986:
924:Mongol invasions of Japan
899:
824:
751:
742:
724:
361:
304:
241:
222:
201:
172:
1381:House of Representatives
1177:2019 imperial transition
1149:Great Hanshin earthquake
1117:Second Sino-Japanese War
1090:Japan during World War I
30:Administrative divisions
1064:First Sino-Japanese War
458:List of cities in Japan
448:Administrative division
395:, 明治の大合併) of 1889. The
1532:Science and technology
971:Council of Five Elders
966:Azuchi–Momoyama period
650:Urban Studies Research
644:Jacobs, A. J. (2011).
399:replaced the previous
377:special wards of Tokyo
23:
1965:Subdivisions of Japan
1477:Deputy Prime Minister
862:Asuka Kiyomihara Code
539:National Diet Library
308:, Act No. 59 of 2004)
101:Special wards (Tokyo)
21:
1386:House of Councillors
1280:World Heritage Sites
515:"Tokyo - City Guide"
1403:Self-Defense Forces
663:10.1155/2011/692764
499:Ministry of Justice
357:called a metropolis
349:, Japan's capital,
291:Utashinai, Hokkaido
1537:Telecommunications
1069:Russo-Japanese War
999:Tokugawa shogunate
949:Nanboku-chō period
944:Ashikaga shogunate
917:Kamakura shogunate
676:2019-09-17 at the
599:2019-09-17 at the
594:Laws changed by it
588:2019-09-17 at the
577:2019-09-17 at the
566:2019-09-17 at the
551:2019-09-17 at the
542:Nihon hōrei sakuin
503:Local Autonomy Act
486:2005-02-05 at the
393:Meiji no daigappei
255:Local Autonomy Law
24:
1952:
1951:
1918:
1917:
1667:Sexual minorities
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1398:Political parties
1337:Foreign relations
1288:
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1192:
1191:
1182:COVID-19 pandemic
1051:Satsuma Rebellion
1036:Meiji Restoration
934:Kenmu Restoration
794:Foreign relations
351:existed as a city
295:Otofuke, Hokkaido
163:
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76:Designated cities
1977:
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1934:Japan portal
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1847:National symbols
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939:Muromachi period
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409:rural districts
403:/"wards/cities"
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328:Cabinet of Japan
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305:市町村の合併の特例等に関する法律
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1970:Cities in Japan
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1953:
1948:
1928:
1926:
1914:
1734:Class S (genre)
1686:
1662:Sex trafficking
1637:Life expectancy
1573:Anti-monarchism
1551:
1481:
1424:
1391:List of members
1371:Law enforcement
1284:
1188:
1160:
1112:Mukden Incident
1073:
1031:Meiji oligarchy
1011:Empire of Japan
982:
912:Kamakura period
895:
820:
738:
720:
711:
678:Wayback Machine
635:
630:
629:
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601:Wayback Machine
590:Wayback Machine
579:Wayback Machine
568:Wayback Machine
553:Wayback Machine
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488:Wayback Machine
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401:urban districts
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342:Status of Tokyo
336:designated city
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50:Sub-prefectural
31:
12:
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1465:Prime Minister
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1455:Foreign policy
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1853:No-pan kissa
1851:
1822:Martial arts
1812:LGBT culture
1714:Architecture
1707: /
1652:Prostitution
1618:Homelessness
1588:Demographics
1512:Central bank
1342:Human rights
1310:Constitution
1219:
1165:Contemporary
987:Early Modern
891:Heian period
879:Monmu period
874:Taika Reform
852:Asuka period
847:Kofun period
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837:Jōmon period
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1905:Video games
1647:Pornography
1255:Prefectures
1235:Environment
1230:Earthquakes
1215:Archipelago
1122:Pacific War
1078:Late Modern
886:Nara period
832:Paleolithic
524:3 September
519:japan-guide
261:City status
186:is a local
81:Core cities
44:Prefectures
38:Prefectural
1959:Categories
1895:Television
1817:Literature
1779:Hikikomori
1700:Aesthetics
1578:Censorship
1460:Ministries
1430:Government
1144:Heisei era
1127:Occupation
1085:Taishō era
1046:Boshin War
1026:Government
994:Edo period
907:Genpei War
857:Taihō Code
464:References
453:Urban area
355:prefecture
1869:Otokonoko
1837:Mythology
1749:Festivals
1672:Sexuality
1625:Languages
1598:Etiquette
1593:Education
1542:Transport
1354:Judiciary
1315:Elections
1225:Districts
1210:Addresses
1198:Geography
1172:Reiwa era
1102:Shōwa era
1016:Meiji era
1006:Bakumatsu
929:Genkō War
789:Education
752:Overviews
375:. The 23
332:core city
257:of 1947.
236:districts
67:Municipal
1944:Category
1759:Folklore
1657:Religion
1630:Japanese
1603:Gambling
1413:Maritime
1294:Politics
1275:Villages
956:Ōnin War
799:Military
784:Economic
718:articles
674:Archived
656:: 1–14.
597:Archived
586:Archived
575:Archived
564:Archived
549:Archived
484:Archived
442:See also
425:Hokkaidō
217:villages
190:unit in
111:Villages
32:of Japan
1900:Theatre
1875:Origami
1802:Irezumi
1797:Ikebana
1764:Gardens
1739:Cuisine
1692:Culture
1677:Smoking
1613:Housing
1561:Society
1495:Economy
1438:Cabinet
1320:Emperor
1260:Regions
1245:Islands
1132:Postwar
1060:(noble)
825:Ancient
772:Shoguns
744:History
734:Outline
417:Okinawa
383:History
1885:Shinto
1807:Kawaii
1784:Hanami
1769:Geisha
1729:Cinema
1724:Bonsai
1642:People
1608:Health
1527:Energy
1408:Ground
1265:Rivers
1220:Cities
1058:Kazoku
758:Lists
716:
557:shisei
411:(-gun)
389:shisei
91:Cities
1880:Sport
1863:Sentō
1859:Onsen
1842:Names
1832:Music
1827:Media
1793:Icons
1774:Games
1709:Manga
1705:Anime
1682:Women
1583:Crime
1517:Labor
1270:Towns
1250:Lakes
804:Naval
767:Clans
729:Index
714:Japan
611:MIC:
405:(-ku)
347:Tokyo
334:, or
208:machi
196:towns
192:Japan
127:Wards
106:Towns
1754:Flag
1743:wine
1470:list
1443:list
1347:LGBT
1325:list
777:Wars
762:Eras
654:2011
526:2017
432:WWII
421:Naha
397:-shi
326:The
229:mura
215:and
167:city
95:List
1910:Zen
1719:Art
1547:Yen
1418:Air
1366:Law
658:doi
248:gun
179:shi
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