List of metropolitan areas in Japan by population
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This table contains a list of Japanese metropolitan areas (都市圏) of more than 100,000 people in population size order. Each area is listed along with the prefecture it belongs to, the metropolitan area's population, the major city(-ies) within the area, and the population of the major city. The data is valid as of 2005. The region containing most of the people in Japan, between Tokyo and Fukuoka is often called Taiheiyo Belt.
The metropolitan areas written in bold characters are called "the 7 major metropolitan areas of Japan", considered to be de-facto primate cities of each regions of the country.
- Usage note: Metropolitan area populations are often controversial and the methods used to calculate them vary from country to country and source to source, so great care should be taken when comparing the figures in this table with figures for any other country. Meaningful comparisons of metropolitan area population figures can only be made if the methods used to determine each figure are thoroughly understood.
| Rank | Region | Prefecture | Main City | Regional Population | Main City Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Greater Tokyo Area | Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture | 23 special wards area | 36,510,000 | 8,390,000 |
| 02 | Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto ("Keihanshin") Metropolitan Area | Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Hyogo Prefecture, Nara Prefecture, Shiga Prefecture, Wakayama Prefecture | Osaka | 19,220,000 | 2,630,000 |
| 03 | Chūkyō Metropolitan Area | Aichi Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Mie Prefecture | Nagoya | 9,480,000 | 2,200,000 |
| 04 | Fukuoka-Kitakyushu Metropolitan Area | Fukuoka Prefecture | Fukuoka | 4,990,000 | 1,390,000 |
| 05 | Central Hokkaido Region | Hokkaido | Sapporo | 2,400,000 | 1,860,000 |
| 06 | Maebashi-Takasaki Region | Gunma Prefecture | Maebashi | 2,000,000 | 320,000 |
| 07 | Southern Okayama Area | Okayama Prefecture | Okayama | 1,620,000 | 660,000 |
| 08 | Hiroshima Metropolitan Area | Hiroshima Prefecture | Hiroshima | 1,570,000 | 1,150,000 |
| 09 | Sendai Metropolitan Area | Miyagi Prefecture | Sendai | 1,540,000 | 1,020,000 |
| 10 | Utsunomiya | Tochigi Prefecture | Utsunomiya | 1,270,000 | 450,000 |
| 11 | Niigata | Niigata Prefecture | Niigata | 1,250,000 | 810,000 |
| 12 | Kumamoto | Kumamoto Prefecture | Kumamoto | 1,240,000 | 670,000 |
| 13 | Western Totomi Region | Shizuoka Prefecture | Hamamatsu | 1,200,000 | 800,000 |
| 14 | Central Shizuoka Region | Shizuoka Prefecture | Shizuoka | 1,120,000 | 700,000 |
| 15 | Eastern Suruga Bay Area | Shizuoka Prefecture | Numazu | 1,100,000 | 210,000 |
| 15 | Toyama-Takaoka Region | Toyama Prefecture | Toyama | 1,100,000 | 420,000 |
| 17 | South Central Okinawa Region | Okinawa Prefecture | Naha | 1,040,000 | 310,000 |
| 17 | Kagoshima | Kagoshima Prefecture | Kagoshima | 1,040,000 | 600,000 |
| 19 | Kanazawa | Ishikawa Prefecture | Kanazawa | 1,020,000 | 450,000 |
| 20 | Takamatsu | Kagawa Prefecture | Takamatsu | 880,000 | 330,000 |
| 21 | Ōita | Ōita Prefecture | Ōita | 810,000 | 460,000 |
| 21 | Mito-Hokota Region | Ibaraki Prefecture | Mito | 810,000 | 260,000 |
| 23 | Fukuyama | Hiroshima Prefecture | Fukuyama | 800,000 | 410,000 |
| 24 | Fukui | Fukui Prefecture | Fukui | 740,000 | 250,000 |
| 25 | Sasebo | Nagasaki Prefecture | Sasebo | 720,000 | 240,000 |
| 26 | Tsu | Mie Prefecture | Tsu | 710,000 | 160,000 |
| 27 | Yamagata | Yamagata Prefecture | Yamagata | 690,000 | 250,000 |
| 28 | Tokushima | Tokushima Prefecture | Tokushima | 680,000 | 260,000 |
| 29 | Matsuyama | Ehime Prefecture | Matsuyama | 670,000 | 510,000 |
| 30 | Kofu | Yamanashi Prefecture | Kofu | 660,000 | 190,000 |
| 31 | Koriyama | Fukushima Prefecture | Koriyama | 650,000 | 330,000 |
| 32 | Matsumoto | Nagano Prefecture | Matsumoto | 640,000 | 230,000 |
| 33 | Nagano | Nagano Prefecture | Nagano | 620,000 | 380,000 |
| 33 | Kochi | Kochi Prefecture | Kochi | 620,000 | 330,000 |
| 35 | Akita | Akita Prefecture | Akita | 610,000 | 330,000 |
| 36 | Miyazaki | Miyazaki Prefecture | Miyazaki | 560,000 | 310,000 |
| 37 | Morioka | Iwate Prefecture | Morioka | 540,000 | 280,000 |
| 38 | Saga | Saga Prefecture | Saga | 520,000 | 200,000 |
| 38 | Oyama | Tochigi Prefecture | Oyama | 520,000 | 150,000 |
| 40 | Nagaoka | Niigata Prefecture | Nagaoka | 500,000 | 230,000 |
| 41 | Hachinohe | Aomori Prefecture | Hachinohe | 490,000 | 240,000 |
| 42 | Fukushima | Fukushima Prefecture | Fukushima | 470,000 | 290,000 |
| 43 | Asahikawa | Hokkaido | Asahikawa | 420,000 | 350,000 |
| 43 | Shinji Lake Region | Shimane Prefecture | Matsue | 420,000 | 190,000 |
| 45 | Aomori | Aomori Prefecture | Aomori | 390,000 | 310,000 |
| 46 | Hakodate | Hokkaido | Hakodate | 380,000 | 290,000 |
| 47 | Hitachi | Ibaraki Prefecture | Hitachi | 370,000 | 200,000 |
| 47 | Iwaki | Fukushima Prefecture | Iwaki | 370,000 | 350,000 |
| 49 | Nagasaki | Nagasaki Prefecture | Nagasaki | 360,000 | 440,000 |
| 50 | Ueda | Nagano Prefecture | Ueda | 350,000 | 120,000 |
| 50 | Hirosaki | Aomori Prefecture | Hirosaki | 350,000 | 170,000 |
| 52 | Yamaguchi | Yamaguchi Prefecture | Yamaguchi | 320,000 | 190,000 |
| 53 | Tottori | Tottori Prefecture | Tottori | 300,000 | 200,000 |
| 53 | Shimonoseki | Yamaguchi Prefecture | Shimonoseki | 300,000 | 290,000 |
| 55 | Obihiro | Hokkaido | Obihiro | 280,000 | 160,000 |
| 55 | Aizuwakamatsu | Fukushima Prefecture | Aizuwakamatsu | 280,000 | 130,000 |
| 57 | Tokuyama Region | Yamaguchi Prefecture | Shunan | 260,000 | 150,000 |
| 57 | Joetsu | Niigata Prefecture | Joetsu | 260,000 | 210,000 |
| 57 | Yonago | Tottori Prefecture | Yonago | 260,000 | 150,000 |
| 60 | Ube | Yamaguchi Prefecture | Ube | 250,000 | 180,000 |
| 61 | Kitakami | Iwate Prefecture | Kitakami | 240,000 | 90,000 |
| 62 | Miyakonojo | Miyazaki Prefecture | Miyakonojo | 230,000 | 130,000 |
| 62 | Kushiro | Hokkaido Prefecture | Kushiro | 230,000 | 190,000 |
| 64 | Ishinomaki | Miyagi Prefecture | Ishinomaki | 220,000 | 160,000 |
| 65 | Imabari | Ehime Prefecture | Imabari | 210,000 | 170,000 |
| 65 | Tomakomai | Hokkaido | Tomakomai | 210,000 | 170,000 |
| 67 | Niihama | Ehime Prefecture | Niihama | 200,000 | 120,000 |
| 68 | Muroran | Hokkaido | Muroran | 190,000 | 90,000 |
| 68 | Iwakuni | Yamaguchi Prefecture | Iwakuni | 190,000 | 100,000 |
| 68 | Iida | Nagano Prefecture | Iida | 180,000 | 100,000 |
| 71 | Yatsushiro | Kumamoto Prefecture | Yatsushiro | 170,000 | 130,000 |
| 71 | Ina | Nagano Prefecture | Ina | 170,000 | 60,000 |
| 71 | Kashima | Ibaraki Prefecture | Kashima | 170,000 | 30,000 |
| 74 | Sakata | Yamagata Prefecture | Sakata | 160,000 | 110,000 |
| 74 | Kitami | Hokkaido | Kitami | 160,000 | 110,000 |
| 76 | Tsuruoka | Yamagata Prefecture | Tsuruoka | 150,000 | 140,000 |
| 76 | Chino | Nagano Prefecture | Chino | 150,000 | 50,000 |
| 78 | Kanoya | Kagoshima Prefecture | Kanoya | 140,000 | 80,000 |
| 79 | Ichinoseki | Iwate Prefecture | Ichinoseki | 120,000 | 120,000 |
| 79 | Tanabe | Wakayama Prefecture | Tanabe | 120,000 | 80,000 |
| 79 | Fukuchiyama | Kyoto Prefecture | Fukuchiyama | 120,000 | 60,000 |
| 82 | Maizuru | Kyoto Prefecture | Maizuru | 110,000 | 90,000 |
| 82 | Uwajima | Ehime Prefecture | Uwajima | 110,000 | 90,000 |
| 84 | Takayama | Gifu Prefecture | Takayama | 100,000 | 90,000 |
