Special wards of Tokyo

Special wards of Tokyo (特別区, tokubetsu-ku) are one of the basic local entities of Japan.^[1] There are 23 municipalities in the core of the capital of Japan.^[2] They are "special wards" because they are different from the wards (区, ku) of other major Japanese cities.^[3]

Special wards of Tokyo 東京特別区
Coordinates: 35.6833°N 139.7667°E / 35.6833; 139.7667
Country	Japan
Island	Honshū
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Tokyo
Area
• 23 special wards	622 km2 (240.1 sq mi)
Population  (January 1, 2009)
• 23 special wards	8,742,995
• Density	14,061/km2 (36,418/sq mi)

History

In 1889, 15 wards were established in the city of Tokyo. The number of wards grew to 35 in 1932. The number of wards became 23 in 1947.

The traditional districts of Tokyo evolved as the city grew during the Edo period. There are many districts in Tokyo's special wards.

List of special wards

Name	Kanji	Population (2007)	Density (/km²)	Area (km²)	Major districts
Adachi[4]	足立区	629,392	11,830.68	53.20	Ayase, Kitasenju, Takenotsuka
Arakawa[5]	荒川区	194,777	18,262.25	10.20	Arakawa, Machiya, Nippori, Minamisenju
Bunkyō[6]	文京区	194,933	16,009.28	11.31	Hongō, Yayoi, Hakusan
Chiyoda[7]	千代田区	43,802	3,763.06	11.64	Nagatachō, Kasumigaseki, Ōtemachi, Marunouchi, Akihabara, Yūrakuchō, Iidabashi
Chūō[8]	中央区	104,997	10,344.53	10.15	Nihonbashi, Kayabachō, Ginza, Tsukiji, Hatchōbori, Shinkawa, Tsukishima, Kachidoki, Tsukuda,
Edogawa[9]	江戸川区	661,386	13,264.86	49.86	Kasai, Koiwa
Itabashi[10]	板橋区	529,059	16,445.72	32.17	Itabashi, Takashimadaira
Katsushika[11]	葛飾区	428,066	12,286.62	34.84	Tateishi, Aoto
Kita[12]	北区	330,646	15,885.67	20.59	Akabane, Ōji, Tabata
Kōtō[13]	江東区	436,337	10,963.24	39.8	Kiba, Ariake, Kameido, Tōyōchō, Monzennakachō, Fukagawa, Kiyosumi, Shirakawa, Etchūjima, Sunamachi, Aomi
Meguro[14]	目黒区	267,798	18,217.55	14.70	Meguro, Nakameguro, Jiyugaoka
Minato[15]	港区	205,196	10,088.30	20.34	Odaiba, Shinbashi, Shinagawa, Roppongi, Toranomon, Aoyama, Azabu, Hamamatsuchō, Tamachi
Nakano[16]	中野区	312,939	20,097.82	15.59	Nakano
Nerima[17]	練馬区	702,202	14,580.61	48.16	Nerima, Ōizumi, Hikarigaoka
OtaŌta[18]	大田区	674,590	11,345.27	59.46	Ōmori, Kamata, Haneda, Den-en-chōfu
Setagaya[19]	世田谷区	855,416	14,728.23	58.08	Setagaya, Kitazawa, Kinuta, Karasuyama, Tamagawa
Shibuya[20]	渋谷区	205,512	13,337.13	15.11	Shibuya, Ebisu, Harajuku, Hiroo, Sendagaya, Yoyogi
Shinagawa[21]	品川区	353,887	15,576.01	22.72	Shinagawa, Gotanda, Ōsaki, Hatanodai, Ōimachi
Shinjuku[22]	新宿区	309,463	16,975.48	18.23	Shinjuku, Takadanobaba, Ōkubo, Kagurazaka, Ichigaya
Suginami[23]	杉並区	534,981	15,725.49	34.02	Kōenji, Asagaya, Ogikubo
Sumida[24]	墨田区	237,433	16,079.49	13.75	Kinshichō, Morishita, Ryōgoku
Taitō[25]	台東区	168,277	16,139.38	10.08	Ueno, Asakusa
Toshima[26]	豊島区	256,009	19,428.44	13.01	Ikebukuro, Komagome, Senkawa, Sugamo
Overall		8,637,098	13,890.25	621.81

History of wards

1889 - 1920 (15 wards)		1920 - 1932 (15 wards)		1932 - 1936 (35 wards)	1936 - 1947 (35 wards)	23 special wards of Tokyo Metropolis
Kojimachi						Chiyoda[27]
Kanda
Nihonbashi						Chūō[28]
Kyobashi
Shiba						Minato[15]
Azabu
Akasaka
Yotsuya		Yotsuya				Shinjuku[22]
Naito-shinjuku Town, Toyotama District
Ushigome
Yodobashi town, Toyotama District				Yodobashi
Okubo Town, Toyotama District
Totsuka Town, Toyotama District
Ochiai Town, Toyotama District
Koishikawa						Bunkyō[6]
Hongo
Shitaya						Taitō[25]
Asakusa
Honjo						Sumida[24]
Terashima Town, Minami-Katsushika District				Mukojima
Azuma Town, Minami-Katsushika District
Sumida Town, Minami-Katsushika District
Fukagawa						Kōtō[13]
Kameido Town, Minami-Katsushika District				Joto
Ojima Town, Minami-Katsushika District
Suna Town, Minami-Katsushika District
Shinagawa Town, Ebara District				Shinagawa[21]		Shinagawa[21]
Oi Town, Ebara District
Osaki Town, Ebara District
Ebara Town, Ebara District				Ebara
Meguro Town, Ebara District				Meguro[14]
Hibusuma Town, Ebara District
Omori Town, Ebara District				Ōmori		Ōta[29]
Iriarai Town, Ebara District
Magome Town, Ebara District
Ikegami Town, Ebara District
Higashi-Chofu Town, Ebara District
Kamata Town, Ebara District				Kamata
Yaguchi Town, Ebara District
Rokugo Town, Ebara District
Haneda Town, Ebara District
Setagaya Town, Ebara District				Setagaya[19]	Setagaya[19]
Komazawa Town, Ebara District
Matsuzawa Village, Ebara District
Tamagawa Village, Ebara District
Kinuta Village, Kita-Tama District
Chitose Village, Kita-Tama District
Shibuya Town, Toyotama District				Shibuya[20]
Sendagaya Town, Toyotama District
Yoyohata Town, Toyotama District
Nakano Town, Toyotama District				Nakano[16]
Nogata Town, Toyotama District
Suginami Town, Toyotama District				Suginami[23]
Wadabori Town, Toyotama District
Iogi Town, Toyotama District
Takaido Town, Toyotama District
Sugamo Town, Kita-Toshima District				Toshima[26]
Nishi-Sugamo Town, Kita-Toshima District
Nagasaki Town, Kita-Toshima District
Takada Town, Kita-Toshima District
Takinogawa Town, Kita-Toshima District				Takinogawa		Kita[12]
Ouji Town, Kita-Toshima District				Oji
Iwabuchi Town, Kita-Toshima District
Minami-Senju Town, Kita-Toshima District				Arakawa[5]
Mikawashima Town, Kita-Toshima District
Nippori Town, Kita-Toshima District
Ogu Town, Kita-Toshima District
Itabashi Town, Kita-Toshima District				Itabashi[30]		Itabashi[30]
Kami-Itabashi Village, Kita-Toshima District
Shimura Village, Kita-Toshima District
Akatsuka Village, Kita-Toshima District
Nerima Town, Kita-Toshima District						Nerima[17]
Kami-Nerima Village, Kita-Toshima District
Nakaarai Village, Kita-Toshima District
Shakujii Village, Kita-Toshima District
Oizumi Village, Kita-Toshima District
Senju Town, Minami-Adachi District				Adachi[4]
Umejima Town, Minami-Adachi District
Nishiarai Town, Minami-Adachi District
Kohoku Village, Minami-Adachi District
Toneri Village, Minami-Adachi District
Ikou Village, Minami-Adachi District
Fuchie Village, Minami-Adachi District
Higashi-Fuchie Village, Minami-Adachi District
Hanahata Village, Minami-Adachi District
Ayase Village, Minami-Adachi District
Honden Town, Minami-Katsushika District				Katsushika[11]
Okudo Town, Minami-Katsushika District
Minami-Ayase Town, Minami-Katsushika District
Kameao Village, Minami-Katsushika District
Niijuku Town, Minami-Katsushika District
Kanamachi Town, Minami-Katsushika District
Mizumoto Village, Minami-Katsushika District
Komatsugawa Town, Minami-Katsushika District				Edogawa[31]
Matsue Village, Minami-Katsushika District
Mizue Village, Minami-Katsushika District
Kasai Village, Minami-Katsushika District
Shikamoto Village, Minami-Katsushika District
Shinozaki Village, Minami-Katsushika District
Koiwa Town, Minami-Katsushika District

Related pages

• Capital of Japan
• Administrative division
• Urban area
• Municipalities of Japan
• Wards of Japan

References

1. Web-Japan.org, "Local self-government," p. 1; retrieved 2012-12-19.
2. Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), "Municipalities within Tokyo" Archived 2012-03-28 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-3-26.
3. The special wards are not the same as the special cities of Japan.
4. Adachi website Archived 2008-10-14 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-3-26.
5. Arakawa website; retrieved 2012-3-26.
6. Bunkyō website Archived 2011-05-15 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-3-26.
7. Chiyoda website Archived 2012-03-21 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-3-26.
8. Chūō website^{[permanent dead link]}; retrieved 2012-3-26.
9. Edogawa website (in Japanese); retrieved 2012-3-26.
10. Itabashi website^{[permanent dead link]}; retrieved 2012-3-27.
11. Katsushika website^{[permanent dead link]}; retrieved 2012-3-27.
12. Kita website; retrieved 2012-3-27.
13. Kōtō website; retrieved 2012-3-27.
14. Meguro website; retrieved 2012-3-27.
15. Minato website Archived 2012-10-27 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-3-27.
16. Nakano website (in Japanese); retrieved 2012-3-27.
17. Nerima website (in Japanese); retrieved 2012-3-27.
18. Ōta website; retrieved 2012-3-27.
19. Setagaya website Archived 2007-02-05 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-3-27.
20. Shibuya website Archived 2021-02-14 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-3-27.
21. Shinagawa website Archived 2006-08-26 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-3-27.
22. Shinjuku website; retrieved 2012-3-27.
23. Suginami website Archived 2006-04-24 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-3-27.
24. Sumida website Archived 2010-08-30 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-3-27.
25. Taitō website; retrieved 2012-3-27.
26. Toshima website (in Japanese); retrieved 2012-3-27.
27. website Archived 2012-03-21 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-3-27.
28. website^{[permanent dead link]}; retrieved 2012-3-27.
29. Ōta website; retrieved 2012-3-27.
30. Itabashi website^{[permanent dead link]}; retrieved 2012-3-27.
31. Edogawa website (in Japanese); retrieved 2012-3-27.

Other websites

• Tokyo Metropolitan Government, http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/PROFILE/overview06.htm Archived 2014-12-08 at the Wayback Machine
• Council of Local Authorities for International Relations, Local Government in Japan Archived 2012-02-13 at the Wayback Machine
• "The Large City System of Japan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-09-17. ; graphic shows special wards of Tokyo compared with other Japanese city types at p. 1