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Capital of Japan
 
 
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Tokyo
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
, the seat of the Government of Japan
Government of Japan

Japan has a national government with legislative, administrative and judicial functions. The nation is divided into prefectures of Japan. The prefectural and municipal assembly members are popularly elected for four-year terms....
 and home of the Emperor
Emperor of Japan

The of Japan is the symbol of the state and of the unity of the Japanese people. He is the head of the Imperial House of Japan. Under Japan's present constitution, the Emperor is the "symbol of the state and the unity of the people," and is a ceremonial figurehead in a constitutional monarchy ....
, is de-facto capital of Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
. This is generally not in dispute, but it is not legally defined. In fact, there is a dispute as to exactly when Tokyo became the capital. Some state that it occurred when Tokyo prefecture was established in 1868. Others state that it occurred when Edo Castle became Tokyo Castle that same year, and still others say that it occurred when Tokyo Castle became the Imperial Castle (now the Kokyo
Kokyo

is the imperial main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in Chiyoda, Tokyo close to Tokyo Station and contains various buildings such as the main palace and the private residences of the imperial family....
) in 1869.






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Tokyo
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
, the seat of the Government of Japan
Government of Japan

Japan has a national government with legislative, administrative and judicial functions. The nation is divided into prefectures of Japan. The prefectural and municipal assembly members are popularly elected for four-year terms....
 and home of the Emperor
Emperor of Japan

The of Japan is the symbol of the state and of the unity of the Japanese people. He is the head of the Imperial House of Japan. Under Japan's present constitution, the Emperor is the "symbol of the state and the unity of the people," and is a ceremonial figurehead in a constitutional monarchy ....
, is de-facto capital of Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
. This is generally not in dispute, but it is not legally defined. In fact, there is a dispute as to exactly when Tokyo became the capital. Some state that it occurred when Tokyo prefecture was established in 1868. Others state that it occurred when Edo Castle became Tokyo Castle that same year, and still others say that it occurred when Tokyo Castle became the Imperial Castle (now the Kokyo
Kokyo

is the imperial main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in Chiyoda, Tokyo close to Tokyo Station and contains various buildings such as the main palace and the private residences of the imperial family....
) in 1869. Historically speaking, while there was an Imperial edict transferring the capital to Heian kyo, such a basis has never been provided for the transfer from Kyoto
Kyoto

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 to Tokyo. So, today, there are some people who say that since the transfer to Heiankyo was valid, Kyoto is still the capital of Japan, while some say that Tokyo and Kyoto are both simultaneously capitals of Japan.

Conceptions of the capital of Japan before the Meiji restoration


During the Edo Era, Japan was often said to have three capitals, or . Edo
Edo

, literally: Headlands and bays-door, "estuary", ), also Romanization of Japanese as Yedo or Yeddo, is the Geographical renaming of the Capital of Japan Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868....
 was the capital of the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the , and the , was a feudalism regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family....
, Kyoto
Kyoto

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 was the residence of the Emperor of Japan
Emperor of Japan

The of Japan is the symbol of the state and of the unity of the Japanese people. He is the head of the Imperial House of Japan. Under Japan's present constitution, the Emperor is the "symbol of the state and the unity of the people," and is a ceremonial figurehead in a constitutional monarchy ....
 (therefore making it the capital of culture and tradition), and Osaka
Osaka

is a Cities of Japan in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshu.Osaka is a City designated by government ordinance under the Local Autonomy Law and the capital city of Osaka Prefecture....
 was the unofficial capital of the merchants.

Arguments in favor of Tokyo as capital


The location of the Diet


After World War II, the new Constitution of Japan
Constitution of Japan

The has been the founding legal document of Japan since 1947. The constitution provides for a parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights....
 transferred the state's sovereignty
Sovereignty

File:Leviathan gr.jpgSovereignty is the exclusive right to control a government, a State, a people, or oneself. A sovereign is a supreme lawmaking authority....
 from the Emperor to the people, as represented by the Diet of Japan
Diet of Japan

The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives of Japan, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors....
. A broad consensus arose that the site of the Diet denoted the capital of Japan. This is the most concrete basis for legally recognizing Tokyo as the sole capital of Japan, since the Emperor has no governing power and all other state institutions are based in Tokyo. It falls short of an explicit statement that Tokyo is the capital.

The "capital area" in Japanese law


While no laws have designated Tokyo as the Japanese capital, many laws have defined a that incorporates Tokyo. Article 2 of the of 1956 states that "In this Act, the term 'capital area' shall denote a broad region comprising both the territory of Tokyo Metropolis as well as outlying regions designated by cabinet order." This clearly implies that the government has designated Tokyo as the capital of Japan, although (again) it is not explicitly stated, and the definition of the "capital area" is purposely restricted to the terms of that specific law.

Other laws referring to this "capital area" include the and the .

This term for capital was never used to refer to Kyoto. Indeed, shuto came into use during the 1860s as a gloss of the English term "capital."

Official government positions


In 1941, the Ministry of Education published a book called "History of the Restoration," which is still used by modern scholars. This book referred to the without talking about . A contemporary history textbook states that the Meiji government "moved the capital (shuto) from Kyoto to Tokyo" without using the sento term.

Recently, there there has been a movement to transfer the capital from Tokyo, with the Gifu-Aichi region, the Mie-Kio region and other regions submitting bids for it. Officially, the relocation is referred to as "capital functions relocation" instead of "capital relocation," or as "relocation of the Diet and other organizations."

Successive capitals of Japan

Inside the parenthesis is the name of the corresponding Imperial Palace.

  • Asuka
    Asuka, Yamato

    was one of the Imperial capitals of Japan during the Asuka period , which takes its name from this place. It is located in the present-day village of Asuka, Nara, Nara Prefecture....
    , 592 - 645
  • Koryo
    Koryo, Nara

    is a towns of Japan located in Kitakatsuragi District, Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It served as Japan's temporary capital from 640-642 A.D., the Kudara Palace....
     (Kudara Palace), 640 - 642
  • Asuka
    Asuka, Yamato

    was one of the Imperial capitals of Japan during the Asuka period , which takes its name from this place. It is located in the present-day village of Asuka, Nara, Nara Prefecture....
    , 642 - 645
  • Naniwa
    Naniwa

    Naniwa can refer to:* The former name of Osaka, Osaka, Japan.* Naniwa-ku, Osaka , a Wards of Japan in Osaka.* The Naniwa Vehicle Registration Office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which issues "Naniwa" Japanese license platess for automobiles registered in the city of Osaka....
    , 645 - 655
  • Asuka
    Asuka, Yamato

    was one of the Imperial capitals of Japan during the Asuka period , which takes its name from this place. It is located in the present-day village of Asuka, Nara, Nara Prefecture....
    , 655 - 667
  • Omi Otsu Palace
    Otsu, Shiga

    is the capital cities of Japan of Shiga Prefecture, Japan.As of February 2007 the city has an estimated population of 329,355 with an age average of 40.7 years and a population density of 880.49 persons per square kilometer....
    , 667 - 672
  • Asuka
    Asuka, Yamato

    was one of the Imperial capitals of Japan during the Asuka period , which takes its name from this place. It is located in the present-day village of Asuka, Nara, Nara Prefecture....
    , 672 - 694
  • Fujiwara-kyo
    Fujiwara-kyo

    Fujiwara-kyo , was the Imperial capital of Japan for sixteen years between 694 and 710. It was located in Yamato Province, specifically, present-day Kashihara in Nara prefecture, having been moved from nearby Asuka, Yamato....
     (Fujiwara Palace), 694 - 710
  • Heijo-kyo
    Heijo-kyo

    Heijo-kyo , was the capital city of Japan during most of the time of Nara period . The Heijo Palace is a listed World Heritage Site together with other places in the city of Nara, Nara....
     (Heijo Palace
    Heijo Palace

    in Nara, Nara, was the Imperial Palace of Japan , during most of the Nara Period. The Palace was located in the north end of the capital city, Heijo-kyo....
    ), 710 - 740
  • Kuni-kyo
    Kuni-kyo

    Kuni-kyo , was the capital city of Japan between 740 and 744, with the palace built in present-day city of Kizugawa, Kyoto by order of Emperor Shomu....
     (Kuni Palace), 740 - 744
  • Naniwa-kyo
    Naniwa-kyo

    is a historical Japanese capital city, which was located in present-day central Osaka.Traces of ancient palaces in Naniwa were found in 1957. Through more recent excavations, the existence of a city was confirmed, at least for the latter period in the 8th century....
     (Naniwa Palace), 744
  • Shigaraki Palace
    Shigaraki Palace

    was a palace built by Emperor Shomu, initially as a villa, later named by himself as the capital in 744. The palace was located in the present-day city of Koka, Shiga, Shiga Prefecture, Japan....
    , 744 - 745
  • Heijo-kyo
    Heijo-kyo

    Heijo-kyo , was the capital city of Japan during most of the time of Nara period . The Heijo Palace is a listed World Heritage Site together with other places in the city of Nara, Nara....
     (Heijo Palace
    Heijo Palace

    in Nara, Nara, was the Imperial Palace of Japan , during most of the Nara Period. The Palace was located in the north end of the capital city, Heijo-kyo....
    ), 745 - 784
  • Nagaoka-kyo
    Nagaoka-kyo

    was the capital of Japan from 784 to 794. Its location was reported as Otokuni District, Kyoto, Yamashiro Province, and Nagaokakyo, Kyoto, which prior to becoming a city was in that district, took its name from the capital....
     (Nagaoka Palace), 784 - 794
  • Heian-kyo
    Heian-kyo

    Heian-kyo , was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868....
     (Heian Palace
    Heian Palace

    The Heian Palace was the original imperial palace of Heian-kyo , the capital of Japan, from 794 to 1227. In Japan, this palace is called Daidairi....
    ), 794 - 1180
  • Fukuhara Palace, 1180
  • Heian-kyo
    Heian-kyo

    Heian-kyo , was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868....
     (Heian Palace
    Heian Palace

    The Heian Palace was the original imperial palace of Heian-kyo , the capital of Japan, from 794 to 1227. In Japan, this palace is called Daidairi....
    ), 1180 - 1868
  • Tokyo
    Tokyo

    , officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
     (Kokyo), 1868 - Present


See also