A city designated by government ordinance (a designated city or Government Ordinance City (Japanese: 政令指定都市 seirei shitei toshi or 政令市 seirei shi)) is a Japanese city that has a population greater than 500,000; has important economic and industrial functions; and that is considered a "major city". The classification was created by the first clause of Article 252, Section 19 of the Local Autonomy Law of Japan. This article is about the Japanese municipality system. ... The Local Autonomy Law (地方自治法 Chihō-jichi-hō) of Japan was passed as Law No. ...

As of 2006, no cities that have been granted this status have later lost it.

Designated cities are delegated many of the functions normally performed by prefectural cities, making them almost on par with the prefectures themselves. Tokyo is notably absent from the list, as it is legally not a single city; instead, Tokyo is Japan's sole designated metropolis (都 to) and has full prefectural powers. The prefectures of Japan are the countrys 47 sub-national jurisdictions: one metropolis (都 to), Tokyo; one circuit (道 dō), Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures (府 fu), Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures (県 ken). ... Tokyo , literally Eastern capital)   is the capital and one of the forty-seven prefectures of Japan. ... Auckland Berlin Chicago Hong Kong Istanbul Johannesburg London Los Angeles Madrid Melbourne Metropolis Katowice Moscow Mumbai New York City Osaka Paris Santiago de Chile São Paulo Shanghai Singapore Sydney Tokyo Toronto Warsaw A metropolis (in Greek μήτηρ, mÄ“tÄ“r = mother and πόλις, pólis = city/town) is a major city...

List of designated cities

The list designated cities of Japan below is arranged by the date they were granted designation status.

• Kobe (1956)
• Kyoto (1956)
• Nagoya (1956)
• Osaka (1956)
• Yokohama (1956)
• Kitakyushu (1963)
• Fukuoka (1972)
• Kawasaki (1972)
• Sapporo (1972)
• Hiroshima (1980)
• Sendai (1989)
• Chiba (1992)
• Saitama (2003)
• Shizuoka (2005)
• Sakai (April 1, 2006)

Niigata and Hamamatsu will become designated on April 1, 2007. Okayama is slated to become designated somewhere in the 2000s, due to the possible upcoming mergers. Port Tower at night For the basketball star Kobe Bryant go here. ... This page is about the city Kyoto. ... Nagoya Castle Nagoya (名古屋市; -shi) is the fourth largest (third largest metropolitan region) and the third most prosperous city in Japan. ... Osaka Castle (ÅŒsaka-jō) Location in Japan Osaka Aquarium (Kaiyukan) Osaka railway station The Osaka Tower (TsÅ«tenkaku) Osaka City   listen? (大阪市; ÅŒsaka-shi) is the third-largest city in Japan, with a population of 2. ... Yokohama ) is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture and Japans largest incorporated city,[1] with a population of 3. ... Kitakyushu (北九州市; Kitakyushu-shi), literally North Kyushu, is a city located in Fukuoka prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. ... This page is about Fukuoka, Fukuoka (福岡市), a city in Fukuoka Prefecture. ... A symbol of Kawasaki-shi Temple at Kawasaki. ... Sapporo ) is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population and the third-largest by geographic area. ... Main keep of Hiroshima Castle The city of Hiroshima (広島市; -shi) is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chugoku region of western Honshu, the largest of Japans islands. ... Sendai ) is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku (northeast) region. ... Chiba Hall Mayor {{{Mayor}}} Address 〒260-8722 1-1, Chiba-kou, Chuo-ku, Chiba Phone number 043-245-5111 Official website: Chiba City , Chiba (千葉市 Chiba-shi) is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. ... Saitama ) is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan. ... Shizuoka (静岡市; -shi) is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. ... Sakai (堺市; -shi) is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Hamamatsu (浜松市; -shi) is a city located in western Shizuoka, Japan. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) will be a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Okayama (岡山市; -shi) is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chugoku region of Japan. ...

External links

• (Japanese) Text of the Local Government Law