SCIENCE / DEMOGRAPHY

List: Top Ten Largest Cities in Japan

Date: 2005

Source: Japan National Census

Base: Statistics include population living in the immediate urban areas surrounding the established border of the city.

Notes: Tokyo was the most populous city heading the list of top 10 largest cities in Japan according to the 2005 census data, with over 8 million inhabitants in the '23 Special Wards' - the autonomous municipalities that function as a single urban entity in respect to certain public services. Unlike municipalities (including the municipalities of western Tokyo), special wards are not considered to be local public entities for purposes of the Constitution of Japan. This means that they have no constitutional right to pass their own legislation, or to hold direct elections for mayors and councilors. The population of Tokyo prefecture exceeds 12 million. The prefecture is the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, the world's most populous metropolitan area with 35 million people.