Marunouchi () is an area in
Chiyoda,
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
,
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 ...
, located between
Tokyo Station
Tōkyō Station (, ) is a major railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda's Marunouchi business district near the Tokyo Imperial Palace, Imperial Palace grounds. The newer Eastern extension is not far ...
and the
Imperial Palace. The name, meaning "inside the circle", derives from its location within the palace's outer moat. Marunouchi is the core of Tokyo's central business district as well as one of the main financial centres in Japan. 20 of the ''
Fortune Global 500'' companies are headquartered in the area in 2021, while many other such companies based outside Japan have Asian or Japanese offices there. Together with the neighbouring districts of
Yūrakuchō (有楽町) and
Ōtemachi (大手町), Marunouchi is part of a larger business district sometimes referred to as Daimaruyū (
大丸有).
History

In 1590, before
shogun
, officially , was the title of the military aristocracy, rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor of Japan, Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, exc ...
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...
entered
Edo Castle, the area now known as Marunouchi was an inlet of
Tokyo Bay
is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...
and had the name ''Hibiya.'' With the expansion of the castle, this inlet was filled, beginning in 1592. A new outer moat was constructed, and the earlier moat became the inner moat. The area took the name ''Okuruwauchi'' ("within the enclosure"). ''
Daimyō
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...
s'', particularly ''
shinpan'' and ''
fudai'', constructed their mansions here, and with 24 such estates, the area also became known as ''daimyō kōji'' ("daimyō alley"). The offices of the North and South Magistrates, and that of the Finance Magistrate, were also here.

Following the
Meiji Restoration
The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...
, Marunouchi came under control of the national government, which erected barracks and parade grounds for the
Imperial Japanese Army
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
. In 1890
Iwasaki Yanosuke, brother of the founder (and later the second leader) of
Mitsubishi
The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...
, purchased the land for 1.5 million
yen. As the company developed the land, it came to be known as ''Mitsubishi-ga-hara'' (the "Mitsubishi Fields"). Much of the land remains under the control of
Mitsubishi Estate Co., and the headquarters of many companies in the Mitsubishi Group are in Marunouchi.
The government of Tokyo constructed its headquarters on the site of the former
Kōchi han in 1894. They moved it to the present
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in
Shinjuku in 1991, and the
Tokyo International Forum
The is a multi-purpose exhibition center in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. The complex is generally considered to be in the Yūrakuchō business district, being adjacent to Yūrakuchō Station, but it is administratively in the Marunouchi district.
Toky ...
and
Toyota Tsusho Corporation now stands on the site. Nearly a quarter of Japan's GDP is generated in this area.
Tokyo Station
Tōkyō Station (, ) is a major railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda's Marunouchi business district near the Tokyo Imperial Palace, Imperial Palace grounds. The newer Eastern extension is not far ...
opened in 1914, and the Marunouchi Building in 1923. Marunouchi was targeted in the
1974 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries bombing by the radical far-left terrorist organisation
East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front. Tokyo Station reopened on 1 October 2012 after a 5 year refurbishment.
Landmarks
File:Tokyo International Forum - Marunouchi.jpg, Tokyo International Forum
The is a multi-purpose exhibition center in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. The complex is generally considered to be in the Yūrakuchō business district, being adjacent to Yūrakuchō Station, but it is administratively in the Marunouchi district.
Toky ...
, a multi-purpose culture centre
File:Marunouchi sunset (46747808872).jpg, Three buildings in Marunouchi redeveloped in the 2000s; the JP Tower (left), the Marunouchi Building (centre), the Shin-Marunouchi building (right)
File:桜田濠 桜田門 八重洲ビル群 ❀ 桜田の 門緑陰に 静まれり (小原善郎) - panoramio.jpg, Part of Marunouchi seen from the west
Extant historical buildings
Fully preserved
*
Tokyo Station
Tōkyō Station (, ) is a major railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda's Marunouchi business district near the Tokyo Imperial Palace, Imperial Palace grounds. The newer Eastern extension is not far ...
(1914)
*
Meiji Insurance Headquarters (1934)
* Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum (1894, rebuilt partially using original materials in 2009)
Partially preserved
* (1933, preserved as the lower-storey structure of the
JP Tower since 2012)
* Japan Industry Club (1920, preserved as the lower-storey structure of the Mitsubishi Trust&Banking Head Office since 2003)
File:Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building P5228723.jpg, Tokyo Station
Tōkyō Station (, ) is a major railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda's Marunouchi business district near the Tokyo Imperial Palace, Imperial Palace grounds. The newer Eastern extension is not far ...
(1914)
File:Industry club of Japan Bldg 2010.jpg, The Industry Club of Japan (1920)
File:Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum (2023).jpg, Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum (1894/2009)
File:Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company Head Office 2009.jpg, Meiji Insurance Headquarters (1934)
File:JP-Tower-02.jpg, Tokyo Central Post Office (1933)
Companies based in Marunouchi
Calbee has its headquarters in the Marunouchi Trust Tower Main.
Konica Minolta
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, with offices in 49 countries worldwide. The company manufactures business and industrial imaging products, in ...
has its headquarters in the Marunouchi Center Building in Marunouchi.
*
Mitsubishi Group companies:
**
MUFG
**
Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance
**
Mitsubishi Corporation
is a Japanese general trading company ( ''sogo shosha'') and a core member of the Mitsubishi Group. For much of the post-war period, Mitsubishi Corporation has been the largest of the five great ''sogo shosha'' (Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Itochu, S ...
**
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the prede ...
**
Mitsubishi Electric
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational electronics and electrical equipment manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1921 as a spin-off from the electrical machinery manufacturing d ...
**
Nippon Yusen
The , also known as NYK Line, is a Japanese shipping company. The company headquarters are located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It operates a fleet of over 820 ships, which includes container ships, Tanker (ship), tankers, bulk and woodchip carrie ...
**
Tokio Marine Nichido
**
Asahi Glass
*
Hitachi
() is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and renewable ener ...
*
Furukawa Electric
*
Nikko Citigroup
*
Ushio, Inc.
*
Tanaka Kikinzoku Group
Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines (JAL) is the flag carrier airline of Japan. JAL is headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport, Narita and Haneda Airport, Haneda airports, as well as secondary hubs in Osaka's Kansai ...
used to have its headquarters in the Tokyo Building in Marunouchi.
["World Airline Directory". ''Flight International''. March 30, 1985]
88
Retrieved on June 17, 2009.
International companies

Marunouchi also houses the Japan offices of
Aeroméxico (
Pacific Century Place Marunouchi),
Bain & Company,
Bayerische Landes Bank,
Bloomberg
Bloomberg may refer to:
People
* Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer
* Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian
* Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician a ...
,
First National Bank of Boston,
BT Group,
Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi (Style (visual arts), stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services company based in New York City. The company was formed in 1998 by the merger of Citicorp, t ...
,
Banca Commerciale Italiana,
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Deloitte is a Multinational corporation, multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest professional services network in the world by revenue and number of employees, and is one of the Big Four a ...
,
Bank of India,
JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational financial services, finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is List of largest banks in the United States, the largest ba ...
,
KPMG,
Latham & Watkins,
Mellon Bank,
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius,
Morrison & Foerster,
NatWest Group,
Nikko Cordial,
Nikko Citigroup,
Rabobank
Rabobank (; full name: ''Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A.'') is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands. The group comprises 89 local Dutch Rabobanks (2019), a central organisation (Raboban ...
,
Bank Negara Indonesia,
Overseas Union Bank,
Philadelphia National Bank,
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom.
It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, alon ...
,
Ropes & Gray,
Royal Insurance,
Standard Chartered Bank
Standard Chartered PLC is a British multinational bank with operations in wealth management, Wholesale banking, corporate and investment banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retai ...
and
Standard & Poor's
S&P Global Ratings (previously Standard & Poor's and informally known as S&P) is an American credit rating agency (CRA) and a division of S&P Global that publishes financial research and analysis on stocks, bonds, and commodities. S&P is co ...
.
Rail and subway stations
*
Nijūbashimae Station (
Chiyoda Line)
*
Otemachi Station (
Chiyoda Line,
Hanzomon Line,
Marunouchi Line,
Toei Mita Line,
Tozai Line)
*
Tokyo Station
Tōkyō Station (, ) is a major railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda's Marunouchi business district near the Tokyo Imperial Palace, Imperial Palace grounds. The newer Eastern extension is not far ...
(
Chūō Line,
Keihin-Tohoku Line,
Keiyo Line,
Marunouchi Line,
Shinkansen
The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. It was initially built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond lon ...
,
Sōbu Line,
Yamanote Line,
Yokosuka Line
The is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
The Yokosuka Line connects Tokyo Station with in Yokosuka, Kanagawa. Officially, the name Yokosuka Line is assigned to the segment between and Kurihama sta ...
)
Education
operates public elementary and junior high schools. Chiyoda Elementary School (千代田小学校) is the zoned elementary of Marunouchi 1-3
chōme. There is a freedom of choice system for junior high schools in Chiyoda Ward, and so there are no specific junior high school zones.
References
External links
*
{{coord missing, Tokyo
Chiyoda, Tokyo
Neighborhoods of Tokyo