Greater Tokyo Area

The metropolitan region of Tokyo is located on an area of ​​13,556 square kilometers in the Japanese Pacific coast and is the economic, political and cultural center of the country. Japanese names for it are Tōkyōken (东京 圏; German as " Tokyo - area"), Shutoken (首都 圏; German as " capital region"), Itto Sanken (一 都 三 県; German as " a metropolis three prefectures " ) or Minami- Kanto (南 关 东; German about " South Kanto " ), in English Greater Tokyo Area, Keihinyo major Metropolitan Area or simply Tokyo -Yokohama.

With more than 36 million inhabitants in 2011, is the largest metropolitan area in the world. The four million cities Tokyo (or the 23 districts ), Yokohama, Kawasaki and Saitama are the core cities. The region consists of the four prefectures of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba, but expands more recently also in the Ibaraki Prefecture.

The metropolitan area has grown rapidly since the mid-20th century, both by area as well as by population. In it lives about 29 percent of Japan's total population. Its outer border is about 70 miles from Tokyo's city center. In contrast, since 1965 the population of the 23 city wards of Tokyo reduced, but has been increasing since 1995 reurbanisation again.

Definition variants

Different sources draw the line for the metropolitan region in different ways. Depending on the definition, the population fluctuates between 30 and 40 million. For economic statistics, the University of Tokyo has a " capital employment area " from areas defined with a high proportion of commuters. Other definitions, such as the Kantō region or " metropolitan area " include several prefectures as a whole.

• Different definitions of the Tokyo region

Tokyo Prefecture without Izu - Ogasawara and Islands ( 12.7 million inhabitants, 2008)

Toshi Koyōken (都市 雇用 圏, dt " capital employment area "; 31.7 million inhabitants, 2000), the University of Tokyo

Süd-Kantō/Tokio-Yokohama ( prefectures of Tokyo), Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa (36 million inhabitants, 2011)

Metropolitan region of Kanto (关 东 大都市 圏, Kanto Dai- toshi -ken; 34.6 million inhabitants, 2000) of the Japanese Bureau of Statistics

Kantō ( 41.9 million inhabitants, 2008)

Metropolitan area ( 42.8 million inhabitants, 2008) of the Act to reorganize the capital area (首都 圏 整 备 法, shutoken - seibi - hō )