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Shinagawa (品川区, Shinagawa-ku) is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The Ward refers to itself as Shinagawa City in English. The Ward is home to ten embassies.

Quick Facts 品川区, Country ...
Shinagawa
品川区
Shinagawa City
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Meguro River at Ōsaki, Shinagawa
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Location of Shinagawa in Tokyo Metropolis
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Shinagawa
Shinagawa
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 35°36′N 139°44′E
CountryJapan
RegionKantō
PrefectureTokyo Metropolis
Area
  Total
22.84 km2 (8.82 sq mi)
Population
 (October 1, 2020[1])
  Total
422,488
  Density18,497/km2 (47,910/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address2-1-36 Hiromachi,
Shinagawa-ku, Tōkyō-to
140-8715
Websitewww.city.shinagawa.tokyo.jp
Symbols
BirdChroicocephalus ridibundus
FlowerRhododendron indicum
TreeCastanopsis
Acer
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As of 1 April 2016, the Ward had an estimated population of 380,293 and a population density of 16,510 persons per km2. The total area is 22.84 km2.[2]

Shinagawa is also commonly used to refer to the business district around Shinagawa Station, which is not in Shinagawa Ward. This Shinagawa is in the Takanawa and Konan neighborhoods of Minato Ward, directly north of Kita-Shinagawa.

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Geography

Shinagawa Ward includes natural uplands and lowlands, as well as reclaimed land. The uplands are the eastern end of the Musashino Terrace. They include Shiba-Shirokanedai north of the Meguro River, Megurodai between the Meguro and Tachiai Rivers, and Ebaradai south of the Tachiai River.

The Ward lies on Tokyo Bay. Its neighbors on land are all special wards of Tokyo: Kōtō to the east, Minato to the north, Meguro to the west, and Ōta to the south.

Districts and neighborhoods

Shinagawa Ward consists of five areas, each consisting of multiple districts and neighborhoods:

  • Shinagawa District, including the former Shinagawa-juku on the Tōkaidō.
  • Ōsaki (大崎) District, formerly a town of that name, stretching from Ōsaki Station to Gotanda and Meguro Stations.
  • Ebara (荏原) District, formerly a town of that name.
  • Ōi (大井) District, formerly a town of that name.
  • Yashio (八潮) District, consisting of reclaimed land, including Higashiyashio on Odaiba.
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History

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Shinagawa-juku in the 1830s, as depicted by Hiroshige

Most of Tokyo east of the Imperial Palace is on reclaimed land. A large proportion of the reclamation took place during the Edo period, when Shinagawa-juku was the first shukuba (post town) in the "53 Stations of the Tōkaidō" that a traveler would reach after setting out from Nihonbashi to Kyoto on the Tōkaidō. The Tokugawa shogunate maintained the Suzugamori execution grounds in Shinagawa.

Following the Meiji Restoration and the abolition of the han system, Shinagawa Prefecture was instituted in 1869. The prefectural administration was to be set up in the Ebara District, but in 1871 Shinagawa Prefecture was integrated into Tokyo Prefecture. In 1932, during the reorganisation of the municipal boundaries of Tokyo City following the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, a smaller version of Shinagawa Ward was created. On March 15, 1947, this was merged with the neighboring Ebara Ward to create the present Shinagawa Ward.

The Ward's historic post-town function is retained today with several large hotels near the train station offering 6,000 rooms, the largest concentration in Tokyo.

The Tōkaidō Shinkansen high-speed rail line began serving Shinagawa Station in 2003.

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Politics and government

Shinagawa is run by an assembly of 40 elected members.

Embassies in Shinagawa

Economy

Corporate headquarters

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Japan Airlines headquarters in Tennōzu Isle, Shinagawa
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Sega Sammy's main headquarters in Shinagawa

Many companies are headquartered in Shinagawa Ward. Isuzu, a diesel engine and commercial truck manufacturer;[12] JTB Corporation, a major travel agency;[13] Nippon Light Metal, an aluminum and chemical products company;[14] MOS Burger (in the ThinkPark Tower, Ōsaki);[15] Lawson (East Tower of Gate City Ohsaki in Ōsaki),[16] Namco Bandai Holdings;[17] Namco Bandai Games;[18] Banpresto;[19] Rakuten,[20][21] Honda brand Acura;[22][citation needed] Toyo Seikan, a packaging manufacturer;[23] NSK Ltd., a bearing maker;[24] Fuji Electric, an electrical equipment manufacturer;[25] Imagica, a media post-production company;[26] Nippon Chemi-Con, an electronic components manufacturer;[27] Topy Industries, a machinery and automotive components company;[28] Gakken, a publishing and educational services company;[29] Comsys, a telecommunications construction and engineering company;[30] and Pola Cosmetics[31] all have their headquarters within Shinagawa Ward. Marza Animation Planet also has its headquarters in Shinagawa on the 18th floor of the Tennoz Ocean Square near Tennōzu Isle Station.[32][33] And since August 2018, Sega Sammy, best known for its Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and also the owner of the Nakano-based TMS Entertainment (which itself owns the aforementioned Marza Animation Planet), has its headquarters in Shinagawa at the Sumitomo Fudosan Osaki Garden Tower near Ōsaki Station.

Japan Airlines (JAL), the head office of its subsidiary JAL Hotels, and registered offices of JAL Express and JALways are located in the Tennōzu Isle area.[34][35][36][37][38] In addition, Jalux, a subsidiary, has its head office in the I·S Building.[39] One group of employees moved into the building on July 26, 2010, and one on August 2, 2010.[40]

On 8 July 2022, Nikon announced they have begun construction on a new headquarters adjacent to their Ōi Plan. [41] The Nikon HQ is supposed to be completed in 2024 and its address is: 5480-1, Nishioi 1-chome, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo

Other offices

Other companies maintain branch offices or research facilities in Shinagawa Ward. Sony operates the Gotenyama Technology Center and the Osaki East Technology Center in Shinagawa.[42] Sony used to have its headquarters in Shinagawa.[43] Sony moved to Minato, Tokyo around the end of 2006 and closed the Osaki West Technology Center in Shinagawa around 2007.[44][45] Adobe Systems maintains its Japan headquarters on the 19th Floor of Gate City Ohsaki near Ōsaki Station,[46] while Siemens AG has its Japan offices in Takanawa Park Tower.[47] Phoenix Technologies operates its Japan office on the 8th floor of the Gotanda NN Building in Gotanda.[48] Siemens Japan and Philips also have offices in Shinagawa.[citation needed] Microsoft and ExxonMobil have their Japanese headquarters in Konan, Minato, near Shinagawa.[49] Kojima Productions offices are also located in Shinagawa. [50][51]

Former economic operations

A JAL subsidiary, Japan Asia Airways, was also headquartered in the JAL Building until JAL dissolved it.[52] GEOS, an English language school company, once had its headquarters in Shinagawa.[53] At one time Air Nippon had its headquarters in Shinagawa.[54]

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Places

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Honsen-ji
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Ebara Shrine
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Site of Hamakawa Gun Battery
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Shimo-Shimmei Tenso jinjya shrine inari jinja
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Education

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Tokyo Health Care University

Higher education

Primary and secondary education

Public elementary and junior high schools are operated by the Shinagawa Ward Board of Education. Public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.

  • Metropolitan high schools
    • Tokyo Metropolitan Koyamadai High School [ja]
    • Tokyo Metropolitan Ōsaki High School [ja]
    • Tokyo Metropolitan Yashio High School [ja]
  • Private high schools
    • The Junior High and Senior High School [ja] affiliated to the Bunkyo University
    • Hoyu-Gakuin High School [ja]
    • Kogyokusha Junior High and Senior High School [ja]
    • Nihon Ongaku High School [ja] (plans to become coeducational in 2023, with the new name Shinagawa Gakugei High School (品川学藝高等学校))[73]
    • St. Hilda's School (Kōran Jogakkō Junior High and Senior High School [ja])
    • Shinagawa Etoile Girls' High School [ja]
    • Shinagawa Joshi Gakuin Junior High and Senior High School [ja]
    • Shinagawa Shouei Junior and Senior High School [ja], formerly Ono Gakuen Girls' Junior High and Senior High School (小野学園女子中学・高等学校)
    • Seiryo Junior High and Senior High School [ja]
  • International schools
  • Special education schools
    • Tokyo Metropolitan Shinagawa Special Needs Education School[75] – public school for intellectually disabled children
    • Meisei Gakuen [ja] – private deaf school

Municipal combined elementary and junior high schools:[76]

Municipal junior high schools:[76]

  • Ebara No. 1 Junior High School (荏原第一中学校)
  • Ebara No. 5 Junior High School (荏原第五中学校)
  • Ebara No. 6 Junior High School (荏原第六中学校)
  • Fujimidai Junior High School (冨士見台中学校)
  • Hamakawa Junior High School (浜川中学校)
  • Osaki Junior High School (大崎中学校)
  • Suzugamori Junior High School (鈴ヶ森中学校)
  • Togoshidai Junior High School (戸越台中学校)
  • Tokai Junior High School (東海中学校)

Municipal elementary schools:[76]

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Transport

Important railway stations

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Exterior of Shinagawa Station in Minato
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Ōimachi Station at Ōi, Shinagawa

Shinagawa Station is in fact located in neighboring Minato but also serves the northern part of Shinagawa, and is a stop on the high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen line.

Rail

Road

Shinagawa is also home to the main motor vehicle registration facility for central Tokyo (located east of Samezu Station). As a result, many license plates in Tokyo are labeled with the name "Shinagawa."

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Major incidents / accidents

  • 1863 – British Liberines burning case [ja]
  • 1964 – Shinagawa Katsushima warehouse explosion fire [ja]
  • 1987 – Explosion accident at the Ōi Thermal Power Plant [ja]
  • 1995 – Death case of arrest and detention of public affairs notary public office [ja]

Sister cities

Shinagawa has sister-city relationships with Auckland in New Zealand, Geneva in Switzerland, and Portland, Maine, in the United States.[77]

Others

Shinagawa has an educational exchange city (教育交流都市) relationship with Harbin in China,[79] and has concluded "hometown exchange agreements" (ふるさと交流協定) with Hayakawa in Yamanashi Prefecture and Yamakita in Kanagawa Prefecture.[80]

Notable people from Shinagawa

References

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