A is a class or category of Japanese cities. It is a local administrative division created by the national government.Web-Japan.org, "Local self-government", p. 3; retrieved 2012-11-28. 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. After the abolition of special city status on April 1, 2015, any city with a population above 200,000 may apply for core city status.
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.
List of core cities As of 1 April 2021, 62 cities have been designated core cities:
Name Japanese Flag Emblem Area (km2) Population (2012) Date of designation Region PrefectureMap Akashi 49.22 290,927 2018-04-01 Kansai Hyōgo Akita 906.07 322,224 1997-04-01 Tōhoku Akita Amagasaki 49.77 451,353 2009-04-01 Kansai Hyōgo Aomori 824.61 297,348 2006-10-01 Tōhoku Aomori Asahikawa 747.6 351,765 2000-04-01 Hokkaidō Fukui 536.41 266,612 2019-04-01 Chūbu Fukui Fukushima 767.72 289,355 2018-04-01 Tōhoku Fukushima Fukuyama 518.14 462,144 1998-04-01 Chūgoku Hiroshima Funabashi 85.62 610,492 2003-04-01 Kantō Chiba Gifu 203.60 412,718 1996-04-01 Chūbu Gifu Hachinohe 305.56 241,613 2017-01-01 Tōhoku Aomori Hachiōji 186.38 579,799 2015-04-01 Kantō Tokyo Hakodate 677.89 279,056 2005-10-01 Hokkaidō Higashiōsaka 61.78 508,267 2005-04-01 Kansai Osaka Himeji 534.43 536,218 1996-04-01 Kansai Hyōgo Hirakata 65.08 407,997 2014-04-01 Kansai Osaka Ichinomiya 113.82 379,654 2021-04-01 Chūbu Aichi Iwaki 1,232.02 332,994 1999-04-01 Tōhoku Fukushima Kagoshima 547.58 607,257 1996-04-01 Kyushu Kagoshima Kanazawa 468.64 462,796 1996-04-01 Chūbu Ishikawa Kashiwa 114.74 404,863 2008-04-01 Kantō Chiba Kawagoe 109.13 345,361 2003-04-01 Kantō Saitama Kawaguchi 61.95 561,788 2018-04-01 Kantō Saitama Kōchi 309.22 342,568 1998-04-01 Shikoku Kōchi Kōfu 212.47 197,318 2019-04-01 Chūbu Yamanashi Kōriyama 757.20 331,140 1997-04-01 Tōhoku Fukushima Koshigaya 60.24 328,079 2015-04-01 Kantō Saitama Kurashiki 355.63 477,086 2002-04-01 Chūgoku Okayama Kure 352.80 236,595 2016-04-01 Chūgoku Hiroshima Kurume 229.96 301,821 2008-04-01 Kyushu Fukuoka Maebashi 311.59 338,481 2009-04-01 Kantō Gunma Matsue 572.99 208,160 2018-04-01 Chūgoku Shimane Matsumoto 978.47 239,466 2021-04-01 Chūbu Nagano Matsuyama 429.40 516,823 2000-04-01 Shikoku Ehime Mito 217.32 269,162 2020-04-01 Kantō Ibaraki Miyazaki 643.67 402,289 1998-04-01 Kyushu Miyazaki Morioka 886.47 299,734 2008-04-01 Tōhoku Iwate Naha 39.98 321,695 2013-04-01 Kyushu Okinawa Nagano 834.81 380,581 1999-04-01 Chūbu Nagano Nagasaki 240.71 440,911 1997-04-01 Kyushu Nagasaki Nara 276.84 365,421 2002-04-01 Kansai Nara Neyagawa 24.73 238,819 2019-04-01 Kansai Osaka Nishinomiya 99.96 483,878 2008-04-01 Kansai Hyōgo Ōita 502.38 476,008 1997-04-01 Kyushu Ōita Okazaki 387.20 374,085 2003-04-01 Chūbu Aichi Ōtsu 464.51 339,469 2009-04-01 Kansai Shiga Sasebo 426.06 259,676 2016-04-01 Kyushu Nagasaki Shimonoseki 716.14 277,937 2005-10-01 Chūgoku Yamaguchi Suita 36.11 357,917 2020-04-01 Kansai Osaka Takamatsu 375.41 420,356 1999-04-01 Shikoku Kagawa Takasaki 459.16 371,820 2011-04-01 Kantō Gunma Takatsuki 105.31 355,840 2003-04-01 Kansai Osaka Tottori 765.31 196,538 2018-04-01 Chūgoku Tottori Toyama 1,241.77 421,393 2005-04-01 Chūbu Toyama Toyohashi 261.86 375,804 1999-04-01 Chūbu Aichi Toyonaka 36.38 390,457 2012-04-01 Kansai Osaka Toyota 918.32 420,680 1998-04-01 Chūbu Aichi Utsunomiya 416.85 513,722 1996-04-01 Kantō Tochigi Wakayama 210.25 368,684 1997-04-01 Kansai Wakayama Yamagata 381.58 254,519 2019-04-01 Tōhoku Yamagata Yao 41.71 270,735 2018-04-01 Kansai Osaka Yokosuka 100.7 415,259 2001-04-01 Kantō Kanagawa
Former core cities Name JapaneseFlagEmblemArea (km2)Population Date of designation Date of reclassification Region PrefectureMap Hamamatsu 1,558.06795,350 1996-04-01 2007-04-01 (Designated city) Chūbu Shizuoka Kumamoto 390.32737,812 1996-04-01 2012-04-01 (Designated city) Kyushu Kumamoto Niigata 726.45807,450 1996-04-01 2007-04-01 (Designated city) Chūbu Niigata Okayama 789.95720,841 1996-04-01 2009-04-01 (Designated city) Chūgoku Okayama Sagamihara 328.91720,986 2003-04-01 2010-04-01 (Designated city) Kantō Kanagawa Sakai 149.82833,544 1996-04-01 2006-04-01 (Designated city) Kansai Osaka Shizuoka 1,411.90697,578 1996-04-01 2005-04-01 (Designated city) Chūbu Shizuoka
Scheduled to become a core city Name JapaneseFlagEmblemArea (km2) Population (2012) Scheduled date Region PrefectureMap Chigasaki 35.71 236,222 2020-04-01 Kantō Kanagawa Fuji 244.95 253,455 TBD Chūbu Shizuoka Kishiwada 72.68 198,615 2020-04-01 Kansai Osaka Odawara 113.79 197,413 2020-04-01 Kantō Kanagawa Tsukuba 283.72 216,221 TBD Kantō Ibaraki Tokorozawa 72.11 342,321 TBD Kantō Saitama Yokkaichi 206.44 307,599 2020 (aiming) Kansai Mie
Cities that meet the requirements but have not yet been nominated The following cities have populations greater than 200,000 but have not yet been nominated. (Special cities and cities planning to apply for core city status are not shown.) Name JapaneseFlagEmblemArea (km2) Population Region PrefectureMap Ageo 45.51 229,517Kantō SaitamaChōfu 21.58 240,668Kantō TokyoFuchū 29.43 260,891Kantō Tokyo Fujisawa 69.57 420,254Kantō Kanagawa Ichihara 368.17 274,117Kantō Chiba Ichikawa 56.39 491,804 Kantō Chiba Machida 71.80 429,040 Kantō Tokyo Matsudo 61.38 498,575 Kantō Chiba Nagareyama 35.28 211,620 Kantō Chiba Nishitokyo 15.75 206,047 Kantō Tokyo Tokushima 191 258,554 Shikoku Tokushima Tsu 711.11 279,304 Kansai Mie
See also Administrative division Urban area
References
External links "Japan's Evolving Nested Municipal Hierarchy: The Race for Local Power in the 2000s", by A. J. Jacobs at Urban Studies Research, Vol. 2011 (2011); "Large City System of Japan" —graphic shows core cities compared with other Japanese city types at p. 1 (PDF p. 7 of 40) "Growth in Second Tier Cities - Urban Policy Lessons from Japan"—briefing by CLAIR London on classes of Japanese cities (PDF)