Kids Web Japan

Q. Why has Tokyo become so populous?

A.

Tokyo developed gradually from the beginning of the seventeenth century, when the shogunal government was set up there. The city was then called Edo, and it soon grew into one of the world's largest cities. It became the nation's capital with the Meiji Restoration of 1868.

Starting in the Meiji period (1868-1912), it began to develop industrially, attracting increasing numbers of migrants from the outlying areas. Tokyo was not only where political and administrative organs were concentrated. It also came to flourish as a center of business, education, and culture.

This trend became more pronounced in the years after World War II, when the Japanese economy achieved remarkable growth. Now, the Tokyo Metropolis has a population of about 12.6 million. Many people who work in Tokyo commute from neighboring prefectures, making the population of "greater" Tokyo - the area within a 50 kilometer radius of the city center - around 30 million. This is one-fourth of the entire population of Japan.

Photos courtesy of Tokyo Metropolitan Government.