This is a list of in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

by population as defined by the Statistics Bureau of Japan (SBJ) and the Center for Spatial Information Service of the

University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

. The region containing most of the people in Japan between Tokyo and Fukuoka is often called the Taiheiyō Belt.

Population Census

The Statistics Bureau of Japan (SBJ) defines a metropolitan area as one or more central cities and its associated outlying municipalities. To qualify as an outlying municipality, the municipality must have at least 1.5% of its resident population aged 15 and above commuting to school or work into one of the central cities. To qualify as a central city, a city must either be a designated city of any population or a non-designated city with a city proper population of at least 500,000. Metropolitan areas of designated cities are defined as "major metropolitan areas" (大都市圏) while those of non-designated cities are simply "metropolitan areas" (都市圏). If multiple central cities are close enough such that their outlying cities overlap, they are combined and a single metropolitan area is defined rather than independently.

2015 Population Census

The metropolitan areas written in bold are the 11 major metropolitan areas of Japan. *2015 *MMA: Major Metropolitan Area *MA: Metropolitan Area *Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan

2010 Population Census

The metropolitan areas written in bold are the 11 major metropolitan areas of Japan. *2010 *MMA: Major Metropolitan Area *MA: Metropolitan Area *Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan Changes from 2005 census The following changes to metropolitan area definitions were made in the 2010 Census report. * New central cities in Kantō and Keihanshin major metropolitan areas ** Sagamihara in the Kantō MMA and

Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its '' kofun'', keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The ''kofun ...

in the Keihanshin MMA have become designated cities in 2010 and 2006 respectively. These cities are already well within their MMAs and should not greatly alter their formation. * Niigata and Okayama major metropolitan areas ** Niigata became a designated city in 2007 and Okayama became a designated city in 2009. These cities therefore formed major metropolitan areas in the 2010 census. * Shizuoka, Hamamatsu major metropolitan area **

Hamamatsu is a Cities of Japan, city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. In September 2023, the city had an estimated population of 780,128 in 340,591 households, making it the prefecture's largest city, with a population density of over the t ...

also became a designated city in 2007. As its outlying areas overlap with Shizuoka, the two cities formed a single major metropolitan area in the 2010 census. * Utsunomiya metropolitan area **

Utsunomiya is the capital and largest city of Tochigi Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 513,584, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Utsunomiya is famous for its ''gyoza'' ...

qualified as a central city for the 2010 census, resulting from mergers with neighboring municipalities and subsequent population growth.

2005 Population Census

The metropolitan areas written in bold are the 8 major metropolitan areas of Japan. *October 1, 2005 *MMA: Major Metropolitan Area *MA: Metropolitan Area *Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan

Urban Employment Area

Urban Employment Area is another definition of metropolitan areas, defined by the Center for Spatial Information Service, the

2015

The Center for Spatial Information Service, the University of Tokyo has defined 100 metropolitan employment areas (MEAs) and 122 micropolitan employment areas (McEAs) for Japan.

2010

The Japanese

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry The , METI for short, is a ministry of the Government of Japan. It was created by the 2001 Central Government Reform when the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) merged with agencies from other ministries related to economic acti ...

defined 233 areas for the UEAs of Japan. *MEA: Metropolitan Employment Area *Source: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, Center for Spatial Information Science, the University of Tokyo

References

External links

Population Census of Japan

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Metropolitan Areas In Japan By Population

Metropolitan areas