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125-517: Although the autonomy law today allows for special wards to be established in other prefectures, to date they exist only in Tokyo , which consists of 23 special wards and 39 other, ordinary municipalities ( cities , towns , and villages ). The special wards of Tokyo occupy the land that was Tokyo City in its 1936 borders before it was abolished under the Tōjō Cabinet in 1943 to become directly ruled by

250-689: A quorum . Associate Justices of the Supreme Court are both selected and appointed by the Cabinet of Japan , but the Chief Justice differs in being appointed by the Emperor of Japan . Justices are required to be over the age of 40 and possess an extensive knowledge of the law. Unlike in other countries, Supreme Court judges in Japan are subject to retention elections , held concurrently with

375-466: A conservative leadership promoting like-minded judges that less likely to make significant decisions. A historical perspective argues that the early judges were influenced by a Meiji Constitution and German jurisprudence tradition that did not allow striking down unconstitutional legislation, and that over time this expectation resulted in a reluctance to act in politically sensitive cases to maintain judicial independence. One more favorable explanation

500-543: A goal of increasing roadside trees in Tokyo to 1 million (from 480,000), and adding 1,000 ha (2,500 acres) of green space, 88 ha (220 acres) of which will be a new park named "Umi no Mori" (Sea Forest) which will be on a reclaimed island in Tokyo Bay which used to be a landfill. From 2007 to 2010, 436 ha (1,080 acres) of the planned 1,000 ha of green space was created and 220,000 trees were planted, bringing

625-432: A lesser extent Chiba and Ibaraki . Tokyo has been hit by powerful megathrust earthquakes in 1703, 1782, 1812, 1855, 1923, and much more indirectly (with some liquefaction in landfill zones) in 2011 ; the frequency of direct and large quakes is a relative rarity. The 1923 earthquake , with an estimated magnitude of 7.9, killed more than 100,000 people, the last time the urban area was directly hit. Mount Fuji

750-475: A local government. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government administers the whole metropolis including the 23 special wards and the cities and towns that constitute the prefecture. It is headed by a publicly elected governor and metropolitan assembly. Its headquarters is in Shinjuku Ward. The governor of Tokyo is elected every four years. The incumbent governor, Yuriko Koike , was elected in 2016, following

875-465: A major shopping and entertainment center. Various plans have been proposed for transferring national government functions from Tokyo to secondary capitals in other regions of Japan, to slow down rapid development in Tokyo and revitalize economically lagging areas of the country. These plans have been controversial within Japan and have yet to be realized. On September 7, 2013, the IOC selected Tokyo to host

1000-413: A new 2012 law, – sometimes informally called "Osaka Metropolis plan law", but not specifically referring to Osaka – major cities and their surrounding municipalities in prefectures other than Tokyo may be replaced with special wards with similar functions if approved by the involved municipal and prefectural governments and ultimately the citizens of the dissolving municipalities in a referendum. Prerequisite

1125-697: A period of six decades, during which the German Federal Constitutional Court struck down over 600, the United States Supreme Court over 900, and the Indian Supreme Court over 2600. Furthermore, in at least one case where a constitutional violation was found, regarding election district apportionment, the court has been unable to achieve compliance with its ruling. Observers have proposed several possible reasons for this. One critical view

1250-587: A prefecture, with an accompanying Governor and Assembly taking precedence over the smaller municipal governments which make up the metropolis. Notable special wards in Tokyo include Chiyoda , the site of the National Diet Building and the Tokyo Imperial Palace ; Shinjuku , the city's administrative center; and Shibuya , a commercial, cultural, and business hub in the city. Before the 17th century, Tokyo, then known as Edo ,

1375-652: A regular Conference of the Justices in the Supreme Court and implemented by the Administration Bureau of the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, through the office of the General Secretariat, also has extensive control over judicial personnel, including judges. This includes the ability to determine posts of judges, which has a significant impact on their careers and advancement opportunities. The Supreme Court also oversees

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1500-490: A wetter summer and a drier winter. The growing season in Tokyo lasts for about 322 days from around mid-February to early January. Snowfall is sporadic, and occurs almost annually. Tokyo often sees typhoons every year, though few are strong. The wettest month since records began in 1876 was October 2004, with 780 millimeters (30 in) of rain, including 270.5 mm (10.65 in) on the ninth of that month. The most recent of four months on record to observe no precipitation

1625-530: A world city is said to have depreciated greatly during these three decades. Nonetheless, Tokyo still saw new urban developments during this period. Recent projects include Ebisu Garden Place, Tennōzu Isle , Shiodome , Roppongi Hills , Shinagawa , and the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station . Land reclamation projects in Tokyo have also been going on for centuries. The most prominent is the Odaiba area, now

1750-704: Is Shofukuji in Higashi-Murayama . The current building was constructed in 1407, during the Muromachi period (1336–1573). Although greatly reduced in number by later fires, earthquakes, and air raids, a considerable number of Edo-era buildings survive to this day. The Tokyo Imperial Palace , which was occupied by the Tokugawa Shogunate as Edo Castle during the Edo Period (1603–1868), has many gates and towers dating from that era, although

1875-459: Is one of the most populous cities in the world . The Greater Tokyo Area , which includes Tokyo and parts of six neighboring prefectures , is the most-populous metropolitan area in the world, with 41 million residents as of 2024 . Located at the head of Tokyo Bay , Tokyo is part of the Kantō region on the central coast of Honshu , Japan's largest island. Tokyo serves as Japan's economic center and

2000-531: Is 40 m (131 ft). Chiba Prefecture borders it to the east, Yamanashi to the west, Kanagawa to the south, and Saitama to the north. Mainland Tokyo is further subdivided into the special wards (occupying the eastern half) and the Tama area ( 多摩地域 ) stretching westwards. Tokyo has a latitude of 35.65 (near the 36th parallel north ), which makes it more southern than Rome (41.90), Madrid (40.41), New York City (40.71) and Beijing (39.91). Within

2125-473: Is December 1995. Annual precipitation has ranged from 879.5 mm (34.63 in) in 1984 to 2,229.6 mm (87.78 in) in 1938. See or edit raw graph data . Tokyo's climate has warmed significantly since temperature records began in 1876. The western mountainous area of mainland Tokyo, Okutama also lies in the humid subtropical climate (Köppen classification: Cfa ). The climates of Tokyo's offshore territories vary significantly from those of

2250-404: Is a population of at least 2 million in the dissolving municipalities; three cities (Yokohama, Nagoya and Osaka) meet this requirement on their own, seven other major city areas can set up special wards if a designated city is joined by neighboring municipalities. However, prefectures ( 道府県 , -dō/-fu/-ken ) where special wards are set up cannot style themselves metropolis ( 都 , -to ) as

2375-713: Is a reference to the original settlement's location at the meeting of the Sumida River and Tokyo Bay . During the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the name of the city was changed to Tokyo ( 東京 , from 東 tō "east", and 京 kyō "capital") , when it became the new imperial capital, in line with the East Asian tradition of including the word capital ( 京 ) in the name of the capital city (for example, Kyoto ( 京都 ), Keijō ( 京城 ), Beijing ( 北京 ), Nanjing ( 南京 ), and Xijing ( 西京 )). During

2500-512: Is about 100 km (62 mi) southwest of Tokyo. There is a low risk of eruption. The last recorded was the Hōei eruption which started on December 16, 1707, and ended about January 1, 1708 (16 days). During the Hōei eruption, the ash amount was 4 cm in southern Tokyo (bay area) and 2 cm to 0.5 cm in central Tokyo. Kanagawa had 16 cm to 8 cm ash and Saitama 0.5 to 0 cm. If

2625-515: Is in the tropical savanna climate zone (Köppen classification: Aw ). Tokyo's Izu and Ogasawara islands are affected by an average of 5.4 typhoons a year, compared to 3.1 in mainland Kantō. Tokyo is near the boundary of three plates , making it an extremely active region for smaller quakes and slippage which frequently affect the urban area with swaying as if in a boat, although epicenters within mainland Tokyo (excluding Tokyo's 2,000 km (1,243 mi)–long island jurisdiction) are quite rare. It

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2750-465: Is located on the Kantō Plain with five river systems and dozens of rivers that expand during each season. Important rivers are Edogawa , Nakagawa , Arakawa , Kandagawa , Megurogawa and Tamagawa . In 1947, Typhoon Kathleen struck Tokyo, destroying 31,000 homes and killing 1,100 people. In 1958, Typhoon Ida dropped 400 mm (16 in) of rain in a single week, causing streets to flood. In

2875-458: Is not uncommon in the metro area to have hundreds of these minor quakes (magnitudes 4–6) that can be felt in a single year, something local residents merely brush off but can be a source of anxiety not only for foreign visitors but for Japanese from elsewhere as well. They rarely cause much damage (sometimes a few injuries) as they are either too small or far away as quakes tend to dance around the region. Particularly active are offshore regions and to

3000-532: Is similar between the Federal District and its 35 administrative regions in Brazil . To finance the joint public services it provides to the 23 wards, the metropolitan government levies some of the taxes that would normally be levied by city governments, and also makes transfer payments to wards that cannot finance their own local administration. Waste disposal is handled by each ward under direction of

3125-576: Is that the membership of the Supreme Court is influenced by the political dominance of the LDP , and therefore is less likely to challenge legislation produced by aligned politicians in the National Diet . There could also be the desire to maintain good relationships with judges in the Ministry of Justice or other departments. Another critical view is that the court functions like a bureaucracy, with

3250-522: Is the role of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau in the legal ecosystem. The bureau is composed of senior bureaucrats and a minority of judges, some of whom go on to join the Supreme Court. It has the responsibility of thoroughly investigating government legislation to avoid constitutional flaws. Proponents of this view argue that this process prevents the need for the Supreme Court to frequently strike down legislation, as violations of

3375-527: Is the third-smallest, above only Osaka and Kagawa . Its administrative structure is similar to that of Japan's other prefectures . The 23 special wards ( 特別区 , tokubetsu-ku ) , which until 1943 constituted the city of Tokyo , are self-governing municipalities , each having a mayor, a council, and the status of a city. In addition to these 23 special wards, Tokyo also includes 26 more cities ( 市 -shi ), five towns ( 町 -chō or machi ), and eight villages ( 村 -son or -mura ), each of which has

3500-467: The 1973 oil crisis put an end to the rapid post-war recovery and development of Japan's economy, its position as the world's second-largest economy at the time had seemed secure by that point, remaining so until 2010 when it was surpassed by China . Tokyo's development was sustained by its status as the economic, political, and cultural hub of such a country. In 1978, after years of the intense Sanrizuka Struggle , Narita International Airport opened as

3625-613: The 2020 Summer Olympics . Thus, Tokyo became the first Asian city to host the Olympic Games twice. However, the 2020 Olympic Games were postponed and held from July 23 to August 8, 2021, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic . Under Japanese law , the prefecture of Tokyo is designated as a to ( 都 ) , translated as metropolis . Tokyo Prefecture is the most populous prefecture and the densest, with 6,100 inhabitants per square kilometer (16,000/sq mi); by geographic area it

3750-511: The 23 wards ( 23区 , nijūsan-ku ) or just Tokyo ( 東京 , Tōkyō ) if the context makes obvious that this does not refer to the whole prefecture. Today, all wards refer to themselves as a city in English, but the Japanese designation of special ward ( tokubetsu-ku ) remains unchanged. They are a group of 23 municipalities; there is no associated single government body separate from

3875-580: The Arakawa River are most at risk of flooding. Tokyo's buildings are too diverse to be characterized by any specific archtectural style, but it can be generally said that a majority of extant structures were built in the past a hundred years; twice in recent history has the metropolis been left in ruins: first in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake and later after extensive firebombing in World War II . The oldest known extant building in Tokyo

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4000-551: The Constitution of Japan . This means that they had no constitutional right to pass their own legislation, or to hold direct elections for mayors and councilors. While these authorities were granted by statute during the US-led occupation and again in 1975, they could be unilaterally revoked by the National Diet ; similar measures against other municipalities would require a constitutional amendment. The denial of elected mayors to

4125-681: The Kasumigaseki district in Chiyoda, and the name Kasumigaseki is often used as a metonym for the Japanese national civil service . Tokyo has 25 constituencies for the House of Representatives , 18 of which were won by the ruling Liberal Democrats and 7 by the main opposition Constitutional Democrats in the 2021 general election . Apart from these seats, through the Tokyo proportional representation block , Tokyo sends 17 more politicians to

4250-585: The Legal Research and Training Institute , which prospective legal professionals who have passed the National Bar Examination are required to attend to receive practical training. Although the Supreme Court has established the power to strike down legislation that is unconstitutional, it has used this power extremely infrequently. By a simple numerical count, the Supreme Court struck down only eight laws on constitutional grounds over

4375-546: The Local Autonomy Law only allows Tokyo with that status. In Osaka , a 2015 referendum to replace the city with five special wards was defeated narrowly. Many important districts are located in Tokyo's special wards: Tokyo Tokyo , officially the Tokyo Metropolis , is the capital city of Japan . With a population of over 14 million residents within the city proper as of 2023, it

4500-705: The Lost Decades since the 1990s—when the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) was the world's largest, with a market capitalization about 1.5 times that of the NYSE —the city is still a large financial hub, and the TSE remains among the world's top five major stock exchanges . Tokyo is categorized as an Alpha+ city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network . The city is also recognized as one of

4625-537: The Meiji Period . Some gardens were immune from such fates and are today open to the public; Hamarikyu ( Kofu Tokugawa family ), Shibarikyu ( Kishu Tokugawa family ), Koishikawa Korakuen ( Mito Tokugawa family ), Rikugien ( Yanagisawa family ), and Higo Hosokawa Garden ( Hosokawa family ). The Akamon , which is now widely seen as a symbol of the University of Tokyo , was originally built to commemorate

4750-456: The Meiji Restoration . The high survival rate of concrete buildings promoted the transition from timber and brick architecture to modern, earthquake-proof construction. The Tokyo Metro Ginza Line portion between Ueno and Asakusa , the first underground railway line built outside Europe and the American continents, was completed on December 30, 1927. Although Tokyo recovered robustly from

4875-463: The Ministry of Finance were also relocated to Tokyo by 1871, and the first railway line in the country was opened on 14 October 1872, connecting Shimbashi ( Shiodome ) and Yokohama ( Sakuragicho ), which is now part of the Tokaido line . The 1870s saw the establishment of other institutions and facilities that now symbolize Tokyo, such as Ueno Park (1873), the University of Tokyo (1877) and

5000-507: The Ministry of Justice building (1895), the International Library of Children's Literature (1906) and Mistubishi building one (1894, rebuilt in 2010) are some of the few brick survivors from this period. It was regarded as fashionable by some members of the Japanese aristocracy to build their Tokyo residences in grand and modern styles, and some of these buildings still exist, although most are in private hands and open to

5125-437: The National Diet designated the special wards as local public entities ( 地方公共団体 , chihō kōkyō dantai ) , giving them a legal status similar to cities. The wards vary greatly in area (from 10 to 60 km) and population (from less than 40,000 to 830,000), and some are expanding as artificial islands are built. Setagaya has the most people, while neighboring Ōta has the largest area. The total population census of

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5250-563: The Ogasawara Islands , which had been under control of the US since the war ended, were returned in 1968. Ryokichi Minobe , a Marxian economist who served as the governor for 12 years starting in 1967, is remembered for his welfare state policy, including free healthcare for the elderly and financial support for households with children, and his ‘war against pollution’ policy, as well as the large government deficit they caused. Although

5375-726: The Shuto Expressway to meet the increased demand brought about by the 1964 Tokyo Olympics , the first Olympic Games held in Asia. Around this time, the 31-metre height restriction, imposed on all buildings since 1920, was relaxed due to the increased demand for office buildings and advancements in earthquake-proof construction. Starting with the Kasumigaseki Building (147 metres) in 1968, skyscrapers began to dominate Tokyo's skyline. During this period of rapid rebuilding, Tokyo celebrated its 500th anniversary in 1956 and

5500-658: The Tokyo Imperial Palace . It moved to the Tokyo District Court building in September of that year. It was intended to occupy the building of the Supreme Court of Judicature , the previous highest court during the Imperial Japan era, but the building was largely destroyed in the war and had to be rebuilt. In October 1949, this reconstruction was completed and the Supreme Court of Japan would use

5625-439: The Tokyo Metropolis (東京都, Tōkyō-to ). This reorganization aimed to create a more centralized and efficient administrative structure to better manage resources, urban planning, and civil defence during wartime. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government thus became responsible for both prefectural and city functions while administering cities, towns, and villages in the suburban and rural areas. Although Japan enjoyed significant success in

5750-531: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government , which governs all 62 municipalities of Tokyo, not just the special wards. Analogues exist in historic and contemporary Chinese and Korean administration: "Special wards" are city-independent wards, analogously, " special cities /special cities" (teukbyeol-si/tokubetsu-shi) are province-/prefecture-independent cities and were intended to be introduced under SCAP in Japan, too; but in Japan, implementation

5875-831: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (1991). Kisho Kurokawa was also active in the city, and his works there include the National Art Center (2005) and the Nakagin Capsule Tower (1972). Other notable contemporary buildings in Tokyo include the Tokyo Dome , Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower , Roppongi Hills , Tokyo International Forum , and Asahi Beer Hall . As of October 2012, the official intercensal estimate showed 13.506 million people in Tokyo, with 9.214 million living within Tokyo's 23 wards. During

6000-424: The Tokyo Stock Exchange (1878). The rapid modernization of the country was driven from Tokyo, with its business districts such as Marunouchi filled with modern brick buildings and the railway network serving as a means to help the large influx of labour force needed to keep the development of the economy. The City of Tokyo was officially established on May 1, 1889. The Imperial Diet , the national legislature of

6125-562: The University of Tokyo , the top-ranking university in the country. Tokyo Station is the central hub for the Shinkansen , Japan's high-speed railway network, and Shinjuku Station in Tokyo is the world's busiest train station. The city is home to the world's tallest tower, Tokyo Skytree . The Tokyo Metro Ginza Line , which opened in 1927, is the oldest underground metro line in Asia–Pacific . Tokyo's nominal gross domestic output

6250-556: The prefectural government , then renamed to "Metropolitan". During the Occupation of Japan , municipal autonomy was restored to former Tokyo City by the establishment of special wards, each with directly elected mayor and assembly, as in any other city, town or village in Tokyo and the rest of the country. In Japanese, they are collectively also known as "Wards area of Tokyo Metropolis" ( 東京都区部 , Tōkyō-to kubu ) , "former Tokyo City" ( 旧東京市 , kyū-Tōkyō-shi ) , or less formally

6375-557: The 1930s but canceled due to the war. However, due to the monetary contraction policy known as the Dodge Line , named after Joseph Dodge , the neoliberal economic advisor to MacArthur, the plan had to be reduced to a minimal one focusing on transport and other infrastructure. In 1947, the 35 pre-war special wards were reorganized into the current 23 wards . Tokyo did not experience fast economic growth until around 1950, when heavy industry output returned to pre-war levels. Since around

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6500-547: The 1950s and 1960s, the government invested 6–7% of the national budget on disaster and risk reduction. A huge system of dams, levees and tunnels was constructed. The purpose is to manage heavy rain, typhonic rain, and river floods. Tokyo has currently the world's largest underground floodwater diversion facility called the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel (MAOUDC). It took 13 years to build and

6625-400: The 23 special wards had fallen under 8 million as the postwar economic boom moved people out to suburbs, and then rose as Japan's lengthy stagnation took its toll and property values drastically changed, making residential inner areas up to 10 times less costly than during peak values. Its population was 8,949,447 as of October 1, 2010, about two-thirds of the population of Tokyo and a quarter of

6750-679: The 26th Centenary of the Enthronement of Emperor Jimmu celebrations took place on a grand scale to boost morale and increase the sense of national identity in the same year. On 8 December 1941, Japan attacked the American bases at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii , entering the Second World War against the Allied Powers . The wartime regime greatly affected life in the city. In 1943, Tokyo City merged with Tokyo Prefecture to form

6875-485: The Constitution of Japan defines the Supreme Court as a court of last resort and allows it to conduct judicial review through "the power to determine the constitutionality of any law, order, regulation or official act". In its first role as a court of last resort, the Supreme Court hears civil, administrative, and criminal cases appealed from lower courts. This responsibility and the inability to apply discretion in

7000-452: The House of Representatives, 6 of whom were members of the ruling LDP in the 2021 election. The Tokyo at-large district , which covers the entire metropolis, sends 12 members to the House of Councillors . The mainland portion of Tokyo lies northwest of Tokyo Bay and measures about 90 km (56 mi) east to west and 25 km (16 mi) north to south. The average elevation in Tokyo

7125-542: The Meiji government, Edo was renamed Tokyo (Eastern Capital) on 3 September 1868. Emperor Meiji visited the city once at the end of that year and eventually moved there in 1869. Tokyo had already been the nation's political center for nearly three centuries, and the emperor's residence made it a de facto imperial capital as well, with the former Edo Castle becoming the Imperial Palace . Government ministries such as

7250-641: The Mitsui Headquarters (1929), Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi flagship store (1914, refurbished in 1925), Takashimaya Nihonbashi flagship store (1932), Wako in Ginza (1932) and Isetan Shinjuku flagship store (1933). This spread of earthquake and fire-resistant architecture reached council housing too, most notably the Dōjunkai apartments . The 1930s saw the rise of styles that combined characteristics of both traditional Japanese and modern designs. Chuta Ito

7375-440: The Supreme Court deliberately did not reappoint assistant judge Yasauaki Miyamoto, who participated in a legal organization associated with left-wing ideological leanings. This "Miyamoto Affair" resulted in significant media coverage and protest by other judges. Since then, no judge has failed to be reappointed. Ultimately, the court was reshaped during the 1960s and 1970s to become more conservative, with more representation among

7500-426: The US dollar, had a devastating effect on Japan's manufacturing sector, particularly affecting small to mid-size companies based in Tokyo. This led the government to adopt a domestic-demand-focused economic policy, ultimately causing an asset price bubble . Land redevelopment projects were planned across the city, and real estate prices skyrocketed. By 1990, the estimated value of the Imperial Palace surpassed that of

7625-520: The US seized control of the Mariana Islands . From these islands, newly developed long-range B-29 bombers could conduct return journeys. The bombing of Tokyo in 1944 and 1945 is estimated to have killed between 75,000 and 200,000 civilians and left more than half of the city destroyed. The deadliest night of the war came on March 9–10, 1945, the night of the American " Operation Meetinghouse " raid. Nearly 700,000 incendiary bombs were dropped on

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7750-577: The administrative boundaries of Tokyo Metropolis are two island chains in the Pacific Ocean directly south: the Izu Islands , and the Ogasawara Islands , which stretch more than 1,000 km (620 mi) away from the mainland. Because of these islands and the mountainous regions to the west, Tokyo's overall population density figures far under-represent the real figures for the urban and suburban regions of Tokyo. The former city of Tokyo and

7875-411: The administrative wards of cities (that unlike Tokyo City retained their elected mayors and assemblies) but still less than other municipalities in Tokyo or the rest of the country, making them less independent than cities, towns or villages, but more independent than city subdivisions. Today, each special ward has its own elected mayor ( 区長 , kuchō ) and assembly ( 区議会 , kugikai ) . In 2000,

8000-414: The appeals it hears results in civil and criminal appeals being a significant majority of its caseload. In its second role, the Supreme Court can exercise its power of judicial review when a concrete legal dispute involving a violation or misinterpretation of the constitution is appealed. The Supreme Court also manages the operation, budget, and personnel of all of Japan's courts. Decisions are made by

8125-478: The area that had been Tokyo City until 1943, 30 other municipalities are located in the Tama area , and the remaining 9 are on Tokyo's outlying islands. Tokyo has enacted a measure to cut greenhouse gases. Governor Shintaro Ishihara created Japan's first emissions cap system , aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emission by a total of 25% by 2020 from the 2000 level. Tokyo is an example of an urban heat island , and

8250-459: The building for twenty-five years. In 1964, a plan for a new Supreme Court building was created. It was decided that the building should be created in a modern style, and that the design be selected through a public contest. Of 217 submissions, one submitted through a joint effort of 17 people at Kajima led by architect Shinichi Okada was chosen. Construction began in 1971 and concluded in 1974. The new and now current Supreme Court building

8375-546: The city is home to 29 of the world's 500 largest companies, as listed in the annual Fortune Global 500 ; the second-highest number of any city. In the 20th and 21st centuries, Tokyo became the first city in Asia to host the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 1964, and again in 2021, and it also hosted three G7 summits in 1979, 1986, and 1993. Tokyo is an international research and development hub and an academic center with several major universities , including

8500-438: The city. The climate of Chichijima in Ogasawara village is on the boundary between the tropical savanna climate (Köppen classification: Aw ) and the tropical rainforest climate (Köppen classification: Af ). It is approximately 1,000 km (621 mi) south of the Greater Tokyo Area , resulting in much different climatic conditions. Tokyo's easternmost territory, the island of Minamitorishima in Ogasawara village ,

8625-432: The constitution are removed during the legislative phase. The composition of the Supreme Court is defined by the 1947 Judiciary Act. The Supreme Court is composed of a Chief Justice and 14 other Justices. These Justices are divided into three Petty Benches of five, which adjudicate most appeals. Questions of constitutional interpretation are adjudicated by the Grand Bench of all 15 Justices, of which nine are needed for

8750-414: The country, leading to Japan joining the Second World War as an Axis power . Due to the country's political isolation on the international stage caused by its military aggression in China and the increasingly unstable geopolitical situations in Europe, Тоkуо had to give up hosting the 1940 Summer Olympics in 1938. Rationing started in June 1940 as the nation braced itself for another world war, while

8875-450: The country, was established in Tokyo in 1889, and it has ever since been operating in the city. On 1 September 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake struck the city, and the earthquake and subsequent fire killed an estimated 105,000 citizens. The loss amounted to 37 percent of the country's economic output. On the other hand, the destruction provided an opportunity to reconsider the planning of the city, which had changed its shape hastily after

9000-513: The current city area. On March 15, 1943, as part of wartime totalitarian tightening of controls, Tokyo's local autonomy (elected council and mayor) under the Imperial municipal code was eliminated by the Tōjō cabinet and the Tokyo city government and ( Home ministry appointed) prefectural government merged into a single (appointed) prefectural government; the wards were placed under the direct control of

9125-442: The daytime, the population swells by over 2.5 million as workers and students commute from adjacent areas. This effect is even more pronounced in the three central wards of Chiyoda , Chūō , and Minato , whose collective population as of the 2005 National Census was 326,000 at night, but 2.4 million during the day. According to April 2024 official estimates, Setagaya (942,003), Nerima (752,608), and Ota (748,081) were

9250-460: The early Meiji period , the city was sometimes called "Tōkei", an alternative pronunciation for the same characters representing "Tokyo", making it a kanji homograph . Some surviving official English documents use the spelling "Tokei"; however, this pronunciation is now obsolete. Tokyo was originally a village called Edo , part of the old Musashi Province . Edo was first fortified by the Edo clan in

9375-581: The earthquake and new cultural and liberal political movements, such as Taishō Democracy , spread, the 1930s saw an economic downturn caused by the Great Depression and major political turmoil. Two attempted military coups d'état happened in Tokyo, the May 15 incident in 1932 and the February 26 incident in 1936. This turmoil eventually allowed the military wings of the government to take control of

9500-482: The east end of the city ( shitamachi , 下町), an area with a high concentration of factories and working-class houses. Two-fifths of the city were completely burned, more than 276,000 buildings were destroyed, 100,000 civilians were killed, and 110,000 more were injured. Numerous Edo and Meiji-era buildings of historical significance were destroyed, including the main building of the Imperial Palace , Sensō-ji , Zōjō-ji , Sengaku-ji and Kabuki-za . Between 1940 and 1945,

9625-521: The entire state of California . The Tokyo Stock Exchange became the largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, with the Tokyo-based NTT becoming the most highly valued company globally. After the bubble burst in the early 1990s, Japan experienced a prolonged economic downturn called the " Lost Decades ", which was charactized by extremely low or negative economic growth, deflation, stagnant asset prices. Tokyo's status as

9750-401: The first general election after their appointment. A judge is removed from office if a majority votes against them, but this has never happened. A public review is stipulated to occur every ten years after appointment, but since Justices are generally appointed at age 60 or older and must retire at age 70 , there are effectively no second reviews. Particular to the Supreme Court of Japan is

9875-517: The five-storey pagoda and the Shimizudo. The Nezu Shrine and Gokokuji were built by the fifth shogun Tsunayoshi Tokugawa in the late 1600s. All feudal lords ( daimyo ) had large Edo houses where they stayed when in Edo; at one point, these houses amounted to half the total area of Edo. None of the grand Edo-era daimyo houses still exist in Tokyo, as their vast land footprint made them easy targets for redevelopment programs for modernization during

10000-490: The initial stages of the war and rapidly expanded its sphere of influence, the Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942, marked the first direct foreign attack on Tokyo. Although the physical damage was minimal, the raid demonstrated the vulnerability of the Japanese mainland to air attacks and boosted American morale. Large-scale Allied air bombing of cities in the Japanese home islands, including Tokyo, began in late 1944 when

10125-501: The justices from lifetime government employees, which resulted in decisions that tended to limit free expression and public demonstration. Naruhito [REDACTED] Fumihito [REDACTED] Shigeru Ishiba ( LDP ) Second Ishiba Cabinet ( LDP – Komeito coalition ) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Fukushiro Nukaga Kōichirō Genba [REDACTED] Masakazu Sekiguchi Hiroyuki Nagahama Saburo Tokura Kazuo Ueda Article 81 of

10250-450: The late twelfth century. In 1457, Ōta Dōkan built Edo Castle to defend the region from the Chiba clan . After Dōkan was assassinated in 1486, the castle and the area came to be possessed by several feudal lords. In 1590, Tokugawa Ieyasu was granted the Kantō region by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and moved there from his ancestral land of Mikawa Province . He greatly expanded the castle, which

10375-553: The latter is the tallest tower in both Japan and the world, and the second tallest structure in the world after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai . With a scheduled completion date in 2027, Torch Tower (385m) will overtake Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower (325.2m) as the tallest building in Tokyo. Kenzo Tange designed notable contemporary buildings in Tokyo, including Yoyogi National Gymnasium (1964), St. Mary's Cathedral (1967), and

10500-646: The main palace buildings and the tenshu tower have been lost. Numerous temple and shrine buildings in Tokyo date from this era: the Ueno Toshogu still maintains the original 1651 building built by the third shogun Iemitsu Tokugawa . Although partially destroyed during the Second World War, Zojo-ji , which houses the Tokugawa family mausoleum, still has grand Edo-era buildings such as the Sangedatsu gate. Kaneiji has grand 17th-century buildings such as

10625-437: The majority of Tokyo prefecture lie in the humid subtropical climate zone ( Köppen climate classification : Cfa ), with hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters with occasional cold spells. The region, like much of Japan, experiences a one-month seasonal lag . The warmest month is August, which averages 26.9 °C (80.4 °F). The coolest month is January, averaging 5.4 °C (41.7 °F). The record low temperature

10750-422: The majority of its resources to rebuilding in the wake of the consistent fires, earthquakes , and other devastating natural disasters that plagued the city. Edo grew into one of the largest cities in the world with a population reaching one million by the 18th century. This prolonged period of seclusion however came to an end with the arrival of American Commodore Matthew C. Perry in 1853. Commodore Perry forced

10875-533: The marriage of a shogun's daughter into the Maeda clan , one of the most affluent of the feudal lords, while the campus itself occupies their former edo estate. The Meiji era saw a rapid modernization in architectural styles as well; until the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 exposed their weakness to seimic shocks, grand brick buildings were constantly built across the city. Tokyo Station (1914),

11000-513: The metropolitan government. For example, plastics were generally handled as non-burnable waste until the metropolitan government announced a plan to halt burying of plastic waste by 2010; as a result, about half of the special wards now treat plastics as burnable waste, while the other half mandate recycling of either all or some plastics. Unlike other municipalities (including the municipalities of western Tokyo ), special wards were initially not considered to be local public entities for purposes of

11125-413: The most populous wards and municipalities in Tokyo. The least inhabited of all Tokyo municipalities are remote island villages such as Aogashima (150), Mikurajima (289), and Toshima (306). In 2021, Tokyo's average and median ages were both 45.5 years old. This is below the national median age of 49.0, placing Tokyo among the youngest regions in Japan. 16.8% of the population was below 15, while 34.6%

11250-408: The new gateway to the city, while the relatively small Haneda Airport switched to primarily domestic flights. West Shinjuku , which had been occupied by the vast Yodobashi Water Purification Centre until 1965, became the site of an entirely new business district characterized by skyscrapers surpassing 200 metres during this period. The American-led Plaza Accord in 1985, which aimed to depreciate

11375-553: The opening of the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate , leading to an increase in the demand for new foreign goods and subsequently a severe rise in inflation. Social unrest mounted in the wake of these higher prices and culminated in widespread rebellions and demonstrations, especially in the form of the "smashing" of rice establishments. Meanwhile, supporters of the Emperor leveraged the disruption caused by widespread rebellious demonstrations to further consolidate power, which resulted in

11500-554: The overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate , for the first time in a few centuries, the Emperor ceased to be a mere figurehead and became both the de facto and de jure ruler of the country. Hisoka Maejima advocated for the relocation of the capital functions to Tokyo, recognizing the advantages of the existing infrastructure and the vastness of the Kanto Plain compared to the relatively small Kyoto basin . After being handed over to

11625-638: The overthrow of the last Tokugawa shōgun, Yoshinobu , in 1867. After 265 years, the Pax Tokugawa came to an end. In May 1868, Edo castle was handed to the Emperor-supporting forces after negotiation (the Fall of Edo ). Some forces loyal to the shogunate kept fighting, but with their loss in the Battle of Ueno on 4 July 1868, the entire city came under the control of the new government . After

11750-489: The phenomenon is especially serious in its special wards. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the annual mean temperature has increased by about 3 °C (5.4 °F) over the past 100 years. Tokyo has been cited as a "convincing example of the relationship between urban growth and climate". In 2006, Tokyo enacted the "10 Year Project for Green Tokyo" to be realized by 2016. It set

11875-576: The population of Tokyo dwindled from 6,700,000 to less than 2,800,000, as soldiers were sent to the front and children were evacuated. After the war, Tokyo became the base from which the Allied Occupation Forces , under Douglas MacArthur , an American general, administered Japan for six years. The original rebuilding plan of Tokyo was based on a plan modelled after the Metropolitan Green Belt of London , devised in

12000-506: The population of the Greater Tokyo Area . As of December 2012, the population passed 9 million; the 23 wards have a population density of 14,485 people/km (37,520 people/sq mi). The Mori Memorial Foundation put forth a proposal in 1999 to consolidate the 23 wards into six larger cities for efficiency purposes, and an agreement was reached between the metropolitan and special ward governments in 2006 to consider realignment of

12125-570: The power of judicial review , which allows it to determine the constitutionality of any law or official act. The modern Supreme Court was established in Article 81 of the Constitution of Japan in 1947. There was some debate among the members of the SCAP legal officers who drafted the constitution and in the Imperial Diet meeting of 1946 over the extent of the power of the judiciary, but it

12250-430: The prefecture. The 35 wards of the former city were integrated into 22 on March 15, 1947, just before the legal definition of special wards was given by the Local Autonomy Law , enforced on May 3 the same year. The 23rd ward, Nerima, was formed on August 1, 1947, when Itabashi was split again. The postwar reorganization under the US-led occupation authorities democratized the prefectural administrations but did not include

12375-866: The public on limited occasions. Aristocratic residences today open to the public include the Marquess Maeda residence in Komaba , the Baron Iwasaki residence in Ikenohata and the Baron Furukawa residence in Nishigahara. The Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 ushered in an era of concrete architecture. Surviving reinforced concrete buildings from this era include the Meiji Insurance Headquarters (completed in 1934),

12500-484: The reinstitution of Tokyo City. Seiichirō Yasui , a former Home Ministry bureaucrat and appointed governor, won the first Tokyo gubernatorial election against Daikichirō Tagawa, a former Christian Socialist member of the Imperial Diet, former vice mayor of Tokyo city and advocate of Tokyo city's local autonomy. Since the 1970s, the special wards of Tokyo have exercised a considerably higher degree of autonomy than

12625-553: The resignation of her predecessor, Yoichi Masuzoe . She was re-elected in 2020 and in 2024. The legislature of the Metropolis is called the Metropolitan Assembly , and it has one house with 127 seats. The assembly is responsible for enacting and amending prefectural ordinances, approving the budget (8.5 trillion yen in fiscal 2024), and voting on important administrative appointments made by the governor, including

12750-465: The same way as Tokyo City, making the boroughs top-level divisions of England or New York state. Although special wards are autonomous from the Tokyo metropolitan government, they also function as a single urban entity in respect to certain public services, including water supply, sewage disposal, and fire services. These services are handled by the Tokyo metropolitan government, whereas cities would normally provide these services themselves. This situation

12875-485: The seat of both the Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan . The Tokyo Metropolitan Government administers Tokyo's central 23 special wards (which formerly made up Tokyo City ), various commuter towns and suburbs in its western area , and two outlying island chains known as the Tokyo Islands . Despite most of the world recognizing Tokyo as a city, since 1943 its governing structure has been more akin to

13000-740: The special wards was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in the 1963 decision Japan v. Kobayashi et al. (also known as Tokyo Ward Autonomy Case). In 1998, the National Diet passed a revision of the Local Autonomy Law (effective in the year 2000) that implemented the conclusions of the Final Report on the Tokyo Ward System Reform increasing their fiscal autonomy and established the wards as basic local public entities. The word "special" distinguishes them from

13125-486: The time the Allied occupation of Japan ended in 1952, Tokyo's focus shifted from rebuilding to developing beyond its pre-war stature. From the 1950s onwards, Tokyo's Metro and railway network saw significant expansion, culminating in the launch of the world's first dedicated high-speed railway line, the Shinkansen , between Tokyo and Osaka in 1964. The same year saw the development of other transport infrastructure such as

13250-514: The total to 700,000. As of 2014 , roadside trees in Tokyo have increased to 950,000, and a further 300 ha (740 acres) of green space has been added. Tokyo is the seat of all three branches of government : the legislature ( National Diet ), the executive ( Cabinet led by the Prime Minister ), and the judiciary ( Supreme Court of Japan ), as well as the Emperor of Japan , the head of state. Most government ministries are concentrated in

13375-453: The uncodified custom of having seats of the court be allocated to different legal professions: career judges, private attorneys, prosecutors, academics and bureaucrats. The numbers for each group have been subject to some variation, but overall have been remarkably stable since the court's inception. The modern Supreme Court was first convened in May 1947 in the former Privy Council quarters of

13500-462: The vice governors. Its members are also elected on a four-year cycle. Since the completion of the Great Mergers of Heisei in 2001, Tokyo consists of 62 municipalities : 23 special wards , 26 cities , 5 towns and 8 villages . All municipalities in Japan have a directly elected mayor and a directly elected assembly, each elected on independent four-year cycles. The 23 Special Wards cover

13625-505: The wards ( 区 , ku ) of other major Japanese cities. Before 1943, the wards of Tokyo City were no different from the wards of Osaka or Kyoto . These original wards numbered 15 in 1889. Large areas from five surrounding districts were merged into the city in 1932 and organized in 20 new wards, bringing the total to 35; the expanded city was also referred to as "Greater Tokyo" ( 大東京 , Dai-Tōkyō ) . By this merger, together with smaller ones in 1920 and 1936, Tokyo City came to expand to

13750-463: The wards, but there has been minimal further movement to change the current special ward system. Special wards do not currently exist outside Tokyo; however, several Osaka area politicians, led by Governor Tōru Hashimoto , are backing an Osaka Metropolis plan under which the city of Osaka would be replaced by special wards, consolidating many government functions at the prefectural level and devolving other functions to more localized governments. Under

13875-441: The wind blows north-east it could send volcanic ash to Tokyo metropolis. According to the government, less than a millimeter of the volcanic ash from a Mount Fuji eruption could cause power grid problems such as blackouts and stop trains in the Tokyo metropolitan area. A mixture of ash with rain could stick to cellphone antennas, power lines and cause temporary power outages. The affected areas would need to be evacuated. Tokyo

14000-487: The world's most livable ones; it was ranked fourth in the world in the 2021 edition of the Global Livability Ranking . Tokyo has also been ranked as the safest city in the world in multiple international surveys. Tokyo was originally known as Edo ( 江戸 ) , a kanji compound of 江 ( e , "cove, inlet") and 戸 ( to , "entrance, gate, door"). The name, which can be translated as " estuary ",

14125-578: Was practiced in the United States . In 1952, the power, as the Court held, was clarified to apply only in cases with a concrete case. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Supreme Court experienced a "judicial crisis" between older judges and generally younger, liberal judges. For example, there was controversy when some judges in lower courts were seen as frustrating the implementation of ordinances that would limit anti-government demonstrations. In 1971,

14250-564: Was 113.7 trillion yen or US$ 1.04 trillion in FY2021 and accounted for 20.7% of the country's total economic output, which converts to 8.07 million yen or US$ 73,820 per capita. Including the Greater Tokyo Area, Tokyo is the second-largest metropolitan economy in the world after New York , with a 2022 gross metropolitan product estimated at US$ 2.08 trillion. Although Tokyo's status as a leading global financial hub has diminished with

14375-531: Was English (209 residents), followed by American (182) and Chinese nationals (137). Supreme Court of Japan The Supreme Court of Japan ( 最高裁判所 , Saikō-Saibansho , called 最高裁 Saikō-Sai for short) , located in Hayabusachō , Chiyoda , Tokyo , is the highest court in Japan . It has ultimate judicial authority to interpret the Japanese constitution and decide questions of national law. It has

14500-871: Was a leading figure in this movement, and his extant works in Tokyo include Tsukiji Hongan-ji (1934). The Imperial Crown Style , which often features Japanese-style roofs on top of elevated concrete structures, was adopted for the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno and the Kudan Hall in Kudanminami . Since the 30-metre height restriction was lifted in the 1960s, Tokyo's most dense areas have been dominated by skyscrapers. As of May 2024, there are at least 184 buildings exceeding 150 metres (492 feet) in Tokyo. Apart from these, Tokyo Tower (333m) and Tokyo Sky Tree (634m) feature high-elevation observation decks;

14625-622: Was above 65. In the same year, the youngest municipalities in Tokyo were Mikura-jima (average age 40.72), Chuo (41.92), and Chiyoda (42.07), while the oldest included Okutama (59.11) and Miyake (53.82). In 1889, the Home Ministry recorded 1,375,937 people in Tokyo City and a total of 1,694,292 people in Tokyo-fu . In the same year, a total of 779 foreign nationals were recorded as residing in Tokyo. The most common nationality

14750-514: Was based in Kyoto from 794 to 1868, so Edo was still not the capital of Japan. During the Edo period , the city enjoyed a prolonged period of peace known as the Pax Tokugawa , and in the presence of such peace, the shogunate adopted a stringent policy of seclusion, which helped to perpetuate the lack of any serious military threat to the city. The absence of war-inflicted devastation allowed Edo to devote

14875-539: Was completed in 2006. The MAOUDC is a 6.3 km (3.9 mi) long system of tunnels, 22 meters (72 ft) underground, with 70-meter (230 ft) tall cylindrical tanks, each tank being large enough to fit a space shuttle or the Statue of Liberty. During floods, excess water is collected from rivers and drained to the Edo River . Low-lying areas of Kōtō , Edogawa , Sumida , Katsushika , Taitō and Arakawa near

15000-486: Was damaged substantially by the Great Kantō earthquake , and the city was later badly damaged by allied bombing raids during World War II . Beginning in the late 1940s, Tokyo underwent rapid reconstruction and expansion that contributed to the era's so-called Japanese economic miracle in which Japan's economy propelled to the second-largest in the world at the time behind that of the United States . As of 2023 ,

15125-404: Was mainly a fishing village. It gained political prominence in 1603 when it became the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate . By the mid-18th century, Edo was among the world's largest cities, with over a million residents. Following the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the imperial capital in Kyoto was moved to Edo, and the city was renamed Tokyo ( lit.   ' Eastern Capital ' ). In 1923, Tokyo

15250-416: Was overshadowed by other major questions about popular sovereignty, the role of the emperor, and the renunciation of war. Although the ratified wording in Article 81 states that the court possesses the power of judicial review , a part of the court's early history involved clarifying the extent of this power. In 1948, the court declared that the constitution meant to establish the type of judicial review that

15375-486: Was said to have been abandoned and in tatters when he moved there, and ruled the region from there. When he became shōgun , the de facto ruler of the country, in 1603, the whole country came to be ruled from Edo. While the Tokugawa shogunate ruled the country in practice, the Imperial House of Japan was still the de jure ruler, and the title of shōgun was granted by the Emperor as a formality. The Imperial House

15500-535: Was stalled, and in 1956 special cities were replaced in the Local Autonomy Law with designated major cities which gain additional autonomy, but remain part of prefectures. In everyday English, Tokyo as a whole is also referred to as a city even though it contains 62 cities, towns, villages and special wards. The closest English equivalents for the special wards would be the London boroughs or New York City boroughs if Greater London and New York City had been abolished in

15625-407: Was −9.2 °C (15.4 °F) on January 13, 1876. The record high was 39.5 °C (103.1 °F) on July 20, 2004. The record highest low temperature is 30.3 °C (86.5 °F), on August 12, 2013, making Tokyo one of only seven observation sites in Japan that have recorded a low temperature over 30 °C (86.0 °F). Annual rainfall averages nearly 1,600 millimeters (63.0 in), with

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