Tokyo

Tokyo 東京都
Metropolis
Tokyo Metropolis
Clockwise from top: Nishi-Shinjuku and Mount Fuji Tokyo Tower National Diet Building Tokyo Station Tokyo Imperial Palace Shibuya Crossing Tokyo Skytree and Rainbow Bridge
Flag Seal Emblem
Nicknames:  The Big Mikan,[1] New York of Eastern Asia
Anthem: "Tokyo Metropolitan Song" (東京都歌, Tōkyō-to Ka)
Interactive map outlining Tokyo
Location within Japan
Coordinates: 35°41′23″N 139°41′32″E / 35.68972°N 139.69222°E / 35.68972; 139.69222
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Island	Honshu
Capital	Tokyo[2]
Divisions	23 special wards, 26 cities, 1 district, and 4 subprefectures
Government
• Body	Tokyo Metropolitan Government
• Governor	Yuriko Koike (Indp.)
• Representatives	42
• Councilors	11
Area [3]
• Total	2,194 km2 (847 sq mi)
• Metro	13,452 km2 (5,194 sq mi)
• Rank	45th in Japan
Highest elevation [4]	2,017 m (6,617 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2023)[5]
• Total	14,094,034
• Rank	1st in Japan
• Density	6,363/km2 (16,480/sq mi)
• Urban	39,105,000
• Metro [6]	40,800,000
• Metro density	3,000/km2 (7,900/sq mi)
• Dialects	Tokyo Tama Northern Izu Islands
Demonym	Tokyoite
GDP [7]
• Total	JP¥109.692 trillion US$1.027 trillion (2020)
• Metro	JP¥222.129 trillion US$2.084 trillion (2020)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (Japan Standard Time)
ISO 3166-2	JP-13
Flower	Yoshino cherry
Tree	Ginkgo
Bird	Black-headed gull
Website	tokyotokyo.jp www.metro.tokyo.lg.jp

Tokyo (/ˈtoʊkioʊ/;^[8] Japanese: 東京, Tōkyō, [toːkʲoː] ^ⓘ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis (東京都, Tōkyō-to), is the capital city of Japan and one of the most populous cities in the world with a population of over 14 million residents as of 2023.^[9] The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes Tokyo and nearby six prefectures, is the most-populous metropolitan area in the world, with 40.8 million residents as of 2023^[update].^[10] Tokyo's nominal gross domestic output was 113.7 trillion yen or US$1.04 trillion in FY2021 and accounted for 20.7% of the country's total economic output, which converts to 8.07 million yen or US$73,820 per capita.^[11] Including the Greater Tokyo Area, Tokyo is the second-largest metropolitan economy in the world after New York, with a 2022 gross metropolitan product estimated at US$2.08 trillion.^[12]

Located at the head of Tokyo Bay, Tokyo is part of the Kantō region on the central coast of Honshu, Japan's largest island. Tokyo serves as Japan's economic center and the seat of both the Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government administers Tokyo's central 23 special wards (which formerly made up Tokyo City), various commuter towns and suburbs in its western area, and two outlying island chains known as the Tokyo Islands. Despite most of the world recognising Tokyo as a city, since 1943 its governing structure has been more akin to a prefecture, with an accompanying Governor and Assembly taking precedence over the smaller municipal governments which make up the metropolis. Notable special wards in Tokyo include Chiyoda, the site of the National Diet Building and the Tokyo Imperial Palace, Shinjuku, the city's administrative center, and Shibuya, a commercial, cultural, and business hub in the city.

Before the 17th century, Tokyo, then known as Edo, was mainly a fishing village. It gained political prominence in 1603 when it became the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. By the mid-18th century, Edo was among the world's largest cities with over a million residents. Following the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the imperial capital in Kyoto was moved to Edo, and the city was renamed Tokyo (lit. 'Eastern Capital'). In 1923, Tokyo was damaged substantially by the Great Kantō earthquake, and the city was later badly damaged by allied bombing raids during World War II. Beginning in the late 1940s, Tokyo underwent rapid reconstruction and expansion that contributed to the era's so-called Japanese economic miracle in which Japan's economy propelled to the second-largest in the world behind that of the United States.^[13] As of 2023^[update], the city is home to 29 of the world's largest 500 companies listed in the annual Fortune Global 500.^[14]

In 20th and 21st centuries, Tokyo has hosted several major international events, including the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 1964, the postponed-Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2021, and three G7 summits in 1979, 1986, and 1993. Tokyo is an international research and development hub and an academic center with several major universities, including the University of Tokyo, the top-ranking university in the country.^[15][16] Tokyo Station is the central hub for the Shinkansen, Japan's high-speed railway network, and Shinjuku Station in Tokyo is the world's busiest train station. The city is home to the world's tallest tower, Tokyo Skytree.^[17] The Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, which opened in 1927, is the oldest underground metro line in Asia-Pacific.^[18]

Although Tokyo's status as a leading global financial hub has diminished since the 1990s (the Lost Decades), when the Tokyo Stock Exchange was the world's largest, with a market capitalisation about 1.5 times that of the NYSE,^[19] the city is still a large financial hub and the TSE remains among the world's top five major stock exchanges.^[20] Tokyo is categorized as an Alpha+ city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Tokyo is recognized as one of the world's most livable cities; it was ranked fourth in the world in Global Livability Ranking, published in 2021.^[21]