Capital of Japan

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Template:Short description The capital of Japan is Tokyo.<ref name=JapanGov>"About Japan". The Government of Japan. Retrieved 9 March 2022.</ref><ref name=CIA>"Japan - The World Factbook". CIA. Retrieved 9 March 2022.</ref><ref name=BBC>"Japan country profile". BBC News. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.</ref> Throughout history, the national capital of Japan has been in locations other than Tokyo. The oldest capital is Nara.

Template:Main While no laws have designated Tokyo as the Japanese capital, many laws have defined a Template:Nihongo that incorporates Tokyo. Article 2 of the Template:Nihongo of 1956 states: "In this Act, the term 'capital area' shall denote a broad region comprising both the territory of the Tokyo Metropolis as well as outlying regions designated by cabinet order." This 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other laws referring to the "capital area" include the Template:Nihongo,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Template:Nihongo, the Template:Nihongo, the Template:Nihongo, and the Template:Nihongo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In February 2018, Seiji Osaka, a member of the House of Representatives, asked the government where the capital of Japan is. In response, Shinzo Abe stated that while no laws define the capital of Japan, they believed that "the capital of Japan is Tokyo is widely accepted by the people".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Traditionally, the home of the Emperor is considered the capital. From 794 through 1868, the Emperor lived in Heian-kyō, modern-day Kyoto.<ref>Nussbaum, "Kyōto" at pp. 585-587.</ref><ref>Wendy, Frey. History Alive!: The Medieval World and beyond. Palo Alto, CA: Teacher's Curriculum Institute, 2005.</ref> After 1868, the seat of the Government of Japan and the location of the Emperor's home was moved to Edo, which it renamed Tokyo.<ref name="tokyo">Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Tokyo", Japan Encyclopedia, pp. 981–982.</ref> 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".

In 1941, the Ministry of Education published the Template:Nihongo.<ref name="国会等の移転ホームページ – 国土交通省">国会等の移転ホームページ – 国土交通省. Mlit.go.jp. Retrieved on 2011-04-29.</ref> The Ministry of Education published a book called "History of the Restoration" in 1941. This book referred to Template:Nihongo without talking about Template:Nihongo. A contemporary history textbook states that the Meiji government "moved the capital (shuto) from Kyoto to Tokyo" without using the sento term.<ref name="国会等の移転ホームページ – 国土交通省"/>

The proposals to move the capital were conceptualized in 1979, and 16 years later, in 1995, the parliament voted to move the capital away from Tokyo to a place no more than 180 miles and 40 minutes away from the airport, which was planned to be completed in 2010.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1999, the following sites were proposed: Tochigi and Fukushima prefectures, north of Tokyo; the second candidate is Gifu and Aichi prefectures, south of Tokyo; and the panel recommended the third region near the ancient capitals, Nara, Kyoto, and Shiga prefectures.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> These plans did not include moving the Imperial Palace, so they were not seen as moving the capital city but rather transferring the government functions. Ryutaro Hashimoto explicitly denied the possibility of moving the capital city (i.e. moving the Imperial Palace) in 1996.<ref>Template:Cite journalTemplate:Harv</ref><ref>国会等の移転は首都移転と違うのか 国土交通省・国会等の移転ホームページ</ref> The plans for moving were not made later on.

As of 2007, there is a movement to transfer the government functions of the capital from Tokyo while retaining Tokyo as the de facto capital, with the Gifu-Aichi region, the Mie-Kio region and other regions submitting bids for a de jure capital. Officially, the relocation is referred to as "capital functions relocation" instead of "capital relocation", or as "relocation of the Diet and other organizations".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2023, the Government of Japan moved the Agency for Cultural Affairs to Kyoto. This was the first time that a central government office has been relocated outside Tokyo since Tokyo was designated as the capital.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite speech</ref>

List of capitals

Legendary

This list of legendary capitals of Japan begins with the reign of Emperor Jimmu. The names of the Imperial palaces are in parentheses: Template:Expand list

  1. Kashihara, Yamato at the foot of Mount Unebi during reign of Emperor Jimmu<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1915). The Imperial Family of Japan, p. 1.</ref>
  2. Kazuraki, Yamato during reign of Emperor Suizei<ref name="ponsonby2">Ponsonby-Fane, p. 2.</ref>
  3. Katashiha, Kawachi during the reign of Emperor Annei<ref name="ponsonby2"/>
  4. Karu, Yamato during reign of Emperor Itoku.<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, pp. 2-3.</ref>
  5. Waki-no-kami, Yamato during the reign of Emperor Kōshō<ref name="ponsonby3">Ponsonby-Fane, p. 3.</ref>
  6. Muro, Yamato during reign of Emperor Kōan<ref name="ponsonby3"/>
  7. Kuruda, Yamato during the reign of Emperor Kōrei<ref name="ponsonby3"/>
  8. Karu, Yamato during reign of Emperor Kōgen<ref name="ponsonby3"/>
  9. Izakaha, Yamato during reign of Emperor Kaika<ref name="ponsonby3"/>
  10. Shika, Yamato (Palace of Mizugaki) during reign of Emperor Sujin<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, p. 4.</ref>
  11. Shika, Yamato (Palace of Tamagaki) during reign of Emperor Suinin<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, p. 5.</ref>
  12. Makimuko, Yamato (Palace of Hishiro) during reign of Emperor Keikō<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, p. 6.</ref>
  13. Shiga, Ōmi (Palace of Takaanaho) during reign of Emperor Seimu<ref name="ponsonby7">Ponsonby-Fane, p. 7.</ref>
  14. Ando, Nara (Palace of Toyoura) and Kashiki on the island of Kyushu during reign of Emperor Chūai<ref name="ponsonby7"/>

Historical

This list of capitals includes the Imperial palaces names in parentheses. Template:Expand list

Kofun period

Traditional site of Kusuba-no-Miya Palace in Osaka Prefecture

Asuka period

File:210401 One-thousandth scale model of Aramashinomiyako.jpg
1/1000 scale model of Fujiwara-kyō, held by Kashihara-shi Fujiwara-kyō reference room

Nara period

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1/1000 scale model of Heijō-kyō, held by Nara City Hall

Heian period

File:Heiankyo overall model.jpg
1/1000 scale model of Heian-kyō, held by Kyoto City Heiankyo Sosei-Kan Museum

Medieval Japan and Early modern period (see also: History of Japan)

Modern Japan (see also: History of Japan)

Historical capitals

  • Hiraizumi was the capital of totally independent Northern Fujiwara polity (Ōshū) based in Tōhoku region, having defeated Emishi tribes. This polity existed as Kyoto's internal politics prevented Kyoto's authority from 1100 to 1189.
  • Hakodate was the capital of the short lived Republic of Ezo (1869).
  • Shuri was the capital of Ryukyu Kingdom (1429–1879) and Urasoe was capital of Chuzan from at least 1350, which predated the Ryukyu Kingdom.

See also

References

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Further reading

  • Fiévé, Nicolas and Paul Waley. (2003). Japanese Capitals in Historical Perspective: Place, Power and Memory in Kyoto, Edo and Tokyo. New York: Psychology Press. Template:ISBN

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