Taiheiyo Belt
Encyclopedia
The also known as Tokaido corridor is the name for the megalopolis
Megalopolis (city type)
A megalopolis is typically defined as a chain of roughly adjacent metropolitan areas. The term was used by Oswald Spengler in his 1918 book, The Decline of the West, and Lewis Mumford in his 1938 book, The Culture of Cities, which described it as the first stage in urban overdevelopment and...

 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, 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...

 extending from Ibaraki Prefecture
Ibaraki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan, located in the Kantō region on the main island of Honshu. The capital is Mito.-History:Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province...

 in the north all the way to Fukuoka Prefecture
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....

 in the south, running for almost 1200 km (745.6 mi). The urbanization zone runs mainly along the Pacific coast (hence the name) of Japan from Kantō region
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....

 to Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

, and the Inland Sea (on both sides) to Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...

, and is concentrated along the Tōkaidō
Tokaido Main Line
The is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...

-Sanyō rail corridor. A view of Japan at night clearly shows a rather dense and continuous strip of light (that demarcates urban zones) that delineates the region.

Although it contains the majority of Japan's population, references to it in Japanese are mainly economic or regional in nature. The term was first used in 1960 in an Economic Commission Subcommittee Report formed to double the national income. At that time, it was identified as the core of the nation's industrial complex. The region is specifically defined by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry as the following prefectures: Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu, Mie, Osaka, Hyogo, Wakayama, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, and Oita. As economic development (along with urban development) spilled over to nearby regions, they were added to this list.

The Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...

 has a much less well-developed string of cities, called, very pejoratively (literally: the rear of Japan), stretching 1000 km from Akita
Akita, Akita
is the capital city of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.As of June 11, 2005, with the merger of the former Kawabe District , the city has an estimated population of 323,310 and density of...

 to Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi
is the capital city of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.As of February 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 198,971 and a population density of 194.44 persons per km²...

. It is often referenced in relation to the Taiheiyo belt.

Major cities

Listed from north to south:
  • Greater Utsunomiya (pop. 900,000) including Nikkō, Kanuma, Tochigi
    Tochigi, Tochigi
    is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Despite its name, it is not the capital of Tochigi Prefecture; the capital is Utsunomiya.The city took its current form on March 29, 2010 when the old city of Tochigi merged with the towns of Fujioka, Ōhira and Tsuga from Shimotsuga District to form...

    , Oyama
    Oyama, Tochigi
    is a city in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.As April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 163,954, with 62,714 households, and a population density of 955.39 persons per km²...

    , Shimotsuke.

  • Greater Maebashi (pop. 1,500,000) including Takasaki, Kiryu
    Kiryu, Gunma
    is a city in Gunma, Japan, near the cities of Ōta and Ashikaga. Incorporated on March 1, 1921, Kiryū is considered both a city and part of the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area, although it is still widely thought of as a rural area...

    , Isesaki, Ota
    Ota, Gunma
    is a city 50 miles northwest of Tokyo, in eastern Gunma prefecture, Japan. This city is located between the Tone and Watarase rivers. As a result, the new city reached a total population of 219,789, making it the third most populous city in Gunma....

    , Ashikaga, Sano
    Sano, Tochigi
    is a city located in Tochigi, Japan.The city took its current form on February 28, 2005 when the old city of Sano merged with the towns of Kuzu and Tanuma from Aso District to form the new city of Sano.The city is known for its Outlet Mall and ramen....

    , and Tatebayashi.

  • Greater Ibaraki (pop. 1,300,000) including Mito
    Mito, Ibaraki
    is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan and has a central location, moderately offset towards the coast in that prefecture. As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 263,748 and a total area is 217.45 km², giving a population density of 1,212.91 persons per km²...

    , Tsuchiura
    Tsuchiura, Ibaraki
    is a city located in Ibaraki prefecture, in Japan. It is situated along the western shores of Lake Kasumigaura, the second largest lake in Japan. Tokyo city lies about 60 km to the south, and Tsukuba science city borders Tsuchiura to the west.-Demographics:...

    , Hitachinaka
    Hitachinaka, Ibaraki
    is a city located in Ibaraki prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 155,354 and a population density of 1,570 persons per km²...

    , Hitachi
    Hitachi, Ibaraki
    is a city located on the Pacific Ocean in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Its name could be directly translated as "sunrise", but probably more appropriately adapted to "prosperous wealth" .-Demographics:...

    , Tsukuba
    Tsukuba, Ibaraki
    is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It is known as the location of the , a planned city developed in the 1960s.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 207,394 and a population density of 730 persons per km². Its total area is 284.07 km².Mount Tsukuba, particularly well-known...

    .

  • Greater Tokyo (pop. 35.5 million)

  • Mt. Fuji Area (pop. 700,000) including Gotemba, Atami, Numazu, Fujinomiya, Fuji
    Fuji, Shizuoka
    is a city in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture. Fuji is the 3rd largest city in terms of population in Shizuoka Prefecture, trailing Hamamatsu and Shizuoka. As of February 2010, the city has an estimated population of 254,113 and a population density of 1040 persons per km²...

    , Mishima
    Mishima, Shizuoka
    is a city located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2009, the city has an estimated population of 112,078 and a population density of 1,800 persons per km². The total area is 62.13 km²...


  • Greater Shizuoka (pop. 1,000,000)

  • Greater Hamamatsu (pop. 1,100,000) including Kakegawa and Iwata
    Iwata, Shizuoka
    is a city located in Shizuoka, Japan and is known for being the headquarters of the Yamaha Motor Corporation. Iwata is also home to Júbilo Iwata, a J. League soccer team, as well as Yamaha Jubilo, a rugby team. The population was 170,779 as of March 1, 2010...

    .

  • Toyohashi (pop. 400,000)

  • Greater Nagoya (Chūkyō Metropolitan Area
    Chukyo Metropolitan Area
    , sometimes called the Chūkyō region , is the name of a major metropolitan area in Japan that is centered on the city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture. The area makes up the most urban part of the Tōkai region...

    ) (pop. 8,000,000)

  • Greater Osaka (pop. 17,000,000) including Osaka
    Osaka
    is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

    , Kyoto
    Kyoto
    is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

    , Kobe
    Kobe
    , pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...

    , Sakai
    Sakai, Osaka
    is a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the Medieval era.Following the February 2005 annexation of the town of Mihara, from Minamikawachi District, the city has grown further and is now the fourteenth most populous city in...

    , and Higashiosaka

  • Greater Nara
    Nara, Nara
    is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...

     (pop. 1,000,000)

  • Himeji (pop. 500,000)

  • Tokushima (pop. 300,000)

  • Greater Okayama (pop. 1,900,000) including Okayama, Kurashiki, Takamatsu
    Takamatsu, Kagawa
    is a city located in central Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan, and is the seat of the prefectural government. It is designated a core city by the Japanese Government. It is a port city located on the Seto Inland Sea, and is the closest port to Honshu from Shikoku island...

    , Marugame, Sakaide, Tamano, Soja.

  • Fukuyama
    Fukuyama, Hiroshima
    is a city located on the Ashida River in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.As of January 31, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 465,238 and a population density of 898.02 persons per km². The total area is 461.23 km². After Hiroshima City, it is the largest city in Hiroshima Prefecture...

    -Kure
    Kure, Hiroshima
    is a city in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 240,820 and a population density of 681 persons per km². The total area is 353.74 km².- History :...

     (pop. 1,100,000) including Onomichi, Mihara
    Mihara, Hiroshima
    is a city located in Hiroshima, Japan.The city was founded on November 15, 1936.On March 22, 2005 the town of Daiwa, from Kamo District, the town of Kui, from Mitsugi District, and the town of Hongō, from Toyota District, merged with the old city of Mihara to form the new city of Mihara.As of March...

    , Higashi Hiroshima.

  • Greater Hiroshima
    Hiroshima
    is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...

     (pop. 1,300,000) including Hatsukaichi.

  • Greater Matsuyama (pop. 1,050,000) including Imabari, Saijō
    Saijo, Ehime
    is a city located in Ehime, Japan.On November 1, 2004 the old city of Tōyo, and the towns of Komatsu and Tanbara, both from Shūsō District, were merged with Saijō.The city was founded on April 29, 1941.The main city of Saijō is known for natural spring water...

    , Niihama
    Niihama, Ehime
    is a city located in the eastern part of Ehime, Japan. It has the third largest population in Ehime, behind the prefectural capital of Matsuyama and the recently expanded city of Imabari.Niihama was founded on November 3, 1937...

    , Shikokuchūō
    Shikokuchuo, Ehime
    is a city located in Ehime, Japan.Shikokuchūō is the leading producer of paper and paper products in Japan. It is also a port city and one of Ehime’s major centers of industry....

    .

  • Iwakuni - Yamaguchi
    Yamaguchi Prefecture
    is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...

     (pop. 1,000,000) including Ube
    Ube, Yamaguchi
    is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan on the Seto Inland Sea.As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 179,000 and the density of 622 persons per km². The total area is 287.69 km².The city was founded on November 1, 1921....

    , Hofu, Shunan, Hikari
    Hikari, Yamaguchi
    is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded three times: April 1, 1943 , July 1, 1955 , and October 4, 2004 ....

    , Sanyō-Onoda.

  • Kanmon Straits
    Kanmon Straits
    The Kanmon Straits or the Straits of Shimonoseki is the stretch of water separating two of Japan's four main islands. On the Honshū side of the water is Shimonoseki and on the Kyūshū side is Kitakyūshū, whose former city and present ward, Moji , gave the strait its "mon"...

     (pop. 1,700,000) including Shimonoseki and Kitakyushu including Iizuka.

  • Greater Fukuoka
    Fukuoka, Fukuoka
    is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...

     (pop. 2,500,000) including Saga
    Saga, Saga
    is the capital of Saga Prefecture, located on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.Saga was the capital of Saga Domain in the Edo period, and largest city of former Hizen Province....

     and Kasuga
    Kasuga, Fukuoka
    is a city located in Fukuoka, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 107,604 and the density of 7,600 persons per km². The total area is 14.15 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1972. It is directly south of Fukuoka City, and west of Onojo. It also has a border with Nakagawa...

    .

  • Kurume (pop. 300,000)

  • Nakatsu (pop. 215,000)

  • Oita
    Oita, Oita
    is the capital city of Ōita Prefecture located on the island of Kyushu, Japan.- Demographics and geography :Ōita is the most populous city in Ōita Prefecture...

     (pop. 700,000) including Beppu.


Total population: approx 82.9 million
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