Core cities of Japan

This article is about the class of Japanese cities. For the group of English cities, see Core Cities Group.
Sapporo Hakodate, Hokkaidō Asahikawa, Hokkaidō Aomori, Aomori Hachinohe, Aomori Morioka, Iwate Sendai Akita, Akita Yamagata, Yamagata Kōriyama, Fukushima Iwaki, Fukushima Mito, Ibaraki Tsukuba, Ibaraki Utsunomiya, Tochigi Maebashi, Gunma Takasaki, Gunma Isesaki, Gunma Ōta, Gunma Saitama, Saitama Kawagoe, Saitama Kumagaya, Saitama Kawaguchi, Saitama Tokorozawa, Saitama Kasukabe, Saitama Sōka Koshigaya, Saitama Chiba, Chiba Funabashi, Chiba Kashiwa, Chiba Yokohama Kawasaki, Kanagawa Yokosuka, Kanagawa Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Odawara, Kanagawa Chigasaki, Kanagawa Sagamihara Atsugi, Kanagawa Yamato, Kanagawa Niigata, Niigata Nagaoka, Niigata Jōetsu, Niigata Toyama, Toyama Kanazawa, Ishikawa Fukui, Fukui Kōfu, Yamanashi Nagano, Nagano Matsumoto, Nagano Gifu, Gifu Shizuoka, Shizuoka Hamamatsu Numazu, Shizuoka Fuji, Shizuoka Nagoya Toyohashi, Aichi Okazaki, Aichi Ichinomiya, Aichi Kasugai, Aichi Toyota, Aichi Tsu, Mie Yokkaichi, Mie Ōtsu, Shiga Kyoto Osaka Sakai, Osaka Kishiwada, Osaka Toyonaka, Osaka Suita Takatsuki, Osaka Hirakata, Osaka Ibaraki, Osaka Yao, Osaka Neyagawa, Osaka Higashiōsaka, Osaka Kobe Himeji, Hyōgo Amagasaki Akashi, Hyōgo Nishinomiya Kakogawa, Hyōgo Takarazuka, Hyōgo Nara, Nara Wakayama, Wakayama Tottori, Tottori Matsue, Shimane Okayama Kurashiki, Okayama Hiroshima Kure, Hiroshima Fukuyama, Hiroshima Shimonoseki Takamatsu, Kagawa Matsuyama, Ehime Kōchi, Kōchi Kitakyushu Fukuoka Kurume, Fukuoka Nagasaki Sasebo, Nagasaki Kumamoto Ōita, Ōita Miyazaki, Miyazaki Kagoshima Naha, Okinawa
(Circle click-able)
■ ― Designated cities
■ ― Core cities
■ ― Special cities
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Sub-municipal

A core city (中核市 Chūkakushi) is a class or category of Japanese city. It is a local administrative division created by the national government.[1] Core cities are delegated many functions normally carried out by prefectural governments, but not as many as designated cities. To become a candidate for core city status, a city must have a population greater than 300,000 and an area greater than 100 square kilometers, although special exceptions may be made by order of the cabinet for cities with populations under 300,000 but over 200,000.[2]

Application for designation is made by a city with the approval of both the city and prefectural assemblies.

History

The term "core city" was created by the first clause of Article 252, Section 22 of the Local Autonomy Law of Japan.[3]

List of core cities

As of 2012, 41 cities have been designated core cities:

Name Japanese Population (2012) Date of designation Region Prefecture
Akita 秋田市 322,224 1997-04-01 Tōhoku Akita
Amagasaki 尼崎市 451,353 2009-04-01 Kansai Hyōgo
Aomori 青森市 297,348 2006-10-01 Tōhoku Aomori
Asahikawa 旭川市 351,765 2000-04-01 Hokkaidō Hokkaidō
Fukuyama 福山市 462,144 1998-04-01 Chūgoku Hiroshima
Funabashi 船橋市 610,492 2003-04-01 Kantō Chiba
Gifu 岐阜市 412,718 1996-04-01 Chūbu Gifu
Hakodate 函館市 279,056 2005-10-01 Hokkaidō Hokkaidō
Higashiōsaka 東大阪市 508,267 2005-04-01 Kansai Osaka
Himeji 姫路市 536,218 1996-04-01 Kansai Hyōgo
Iwaki いわき市 332,994 1999-04-01 Tōhoku Fukushima
Kagoshima 鹿児島市 607,257 1996-04-01 Kyushu Kagoshima
Kashiwa 柏市 404,863 2008-04-01 Kantō Chiba
Kanazawa 金沢市 462,796 1996-04-01 Chūbu Ishikawa
Kawagoe 川越市 345,361 2003-04-01 Kantō Saitama
Kōchi 高知市 342,568 1998-04-01 Shikoku Kōchi
Kōriyama 郡山市 331,140 1997-04-01 Tōhoku Fukushima
Kurashiki 倉敷市 477,086 2002-04-01 Chūgoku Okayama
Kurume 久留米市 301,821 2008-04-01 Kyushu Fukuoka
Maebashi 前橋市 338,481 2009-04-01 Kantō Gunma
Matsuyama 松山市 516,823 2000-04-01 Shikoku Ehime
Miyazaki 宮崎市 402,289 1998-04-01 Kyushu Miyazaki
Morioka 盛岡市 299,734 2008-04-01 Tōhoku Iwate
Naha 那覇市 321,695 2013-04-01 Kyushu Okinawa
Nagano 長野市 380,581 1999-04-01 Chūbu Nagano
Nagasaki 長崎市 440,911 1997-04-01 Kyushu Nagasaki
Nara 奈良市 365,421 2002-04-01 Kansai Nara
Nishinomiya 西宮市 483,878 2008-04-01 Kansai Hyōgo
Ōita 大分市 476,008 1997-04-01 Kyushu Ōita
Okazaki 岡崎市 374,085 2003-04-01 Chūbu Aichi
Ōtsu 大津市 339,469 2009-04-01 Kansai Shiga
Shimonoseki 下関市 277,937 2005-10-01 Chūgoku Yamaguchi
Takamatsu 高松市 420,356 1999-04-01 Shikoku Kagawa
Takasaki 高崎市 371,820 2011-04-01 Kantō Gunma
Takatsuki 高槻市 355,840 2003-04-01 Kansai Osaka
Toyama 富山市 421,393 2005-04-01 Chūbu Toyama
Toyohashi 豊橋市 375,804 1999-04-01 Chūbu Aichi
Toyonaka 豊中市 390,457 2012-04-01 Kansai Osaka
Toyota 豊田市 420,680 1998-04-01 Chūbu Aichi
Utsunomiya 宇都宮市 513,722 1996-04-01 Kantō Tochigi
Wakayama 和歌山市 368,684 1997-04-01 Kansai Wakayama
Yokosuka 横須賀市 415,259 2001-04-01 Kantō Kanagawa

Former core cities

Name Japanese Date of designation Date of reclassification Region Prefecture
Hamamatsu 浜松市 1996-04-01 2007-04-01 (Designated city) Chūbu Shizuoka
Kumamoto 熊本市 1996-04-01 2012-04-01 (Designated city) Kyushu Kumamoto
Niigata 新潟市 1996-04-01 2007-04-01 (Designated city) Chūbu Niigata
Okayama 岡山市 1996-04-01 2009-04-01 (Designated city) Chūgoku Okayama
Sagamihara 相模原市 2003-04-01 2010-04-01 (Designated city) Kantō Kanagawa
Sakai 堺市 1996-04-01 2006-04-01 (Designated city) Kansai Osaka
Shizuoka 静岡市 1996-04-01 2005-04-01 (Designated city) Chūbu Shizuoka

Scheduled to become a core city

Name Japanese Scheduled date Region Prefecture
Yokkaichi 四日市市 Undetermined Kansai Mie
Ichinomiya 一宮市 Undetermined Chūbu Aichi

Cities that meet the requirements but have not yet been nominated

The following cities have populations greater than 300,000 but have not yet been nominated. (Cities planning to apply for core city status are not shown. ※Special Cities)

Cities that do not meet the requirements but are planning to nominate

See also

References

  1. ↑ Web-Japan.org, "Local self-government," p. 3; retrieved 2012-11-28.
  2. ↑ http://nippon.zaidan.info/seikabutsu/1999/00168/contents/145.htm
  3. ↑ http://nippon.zaidan.info/seikabutsu/1999/00168/contents/143.htm

External links

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