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Special cities of Japan

A special city (特例市, Tokureishi) of Japan was a category of cities in Japan in operation until 2015. Each special city had a population of at least 200,000, and was delegated functions[specify] normally carried out by prefectural governments. Those functions were a subset of the functions that were delegated to core cities.

SapporoHakodate, HokkaidōAsahikawa, HokkaidōAomoriHachinoheMorioka, IwateSendaiAkitaYamagata, YamagataFukushima, FukushimaKōriyama, FukushimaIwaki, FukushimaMito, IbarakiTsukuba, IbarakiUtsunomiya, TochigiMaebashi, GunmaTakasaki, GunmaIsesaki, GunmaŌta, GunmaSaitama, SaitamaKawagoe, SaitamaKumagaya, SaitamaKawaguchi, SaitamaTokorozawa, SaitamaKasukabe, SaitamaSōkaKoshigaya, SaitamaChibaFunabashi, ChibaKashiwa, ChibaHachiōji, TokyoYokohamaKawasaki, KanagawaYokosuka, KanagawaHiratsuka, KanagawaOdawara, KanagawaChigasaki, KanagawaSagamiharaAtsugi, KanagawaYamato, KanagawaNiigataNagaoka, NiigataJōetsu, NiigataToyama, ToyamaKanazawa, IshikawaFukuiKōfu, YamanashiNagano, NaganoMatsumoto, NaganoGifuShizuoka, ShizuokaHamamatsuNumazu, ShizuokaFuji, ShizuokaNagoyaToyohashi, AichiOkazaki, AichiIchinomiya, AichiKasugai, AichiToyota, AichiYokkaichi, MieŌtsu, ShigaKyotoOsakaSakai, OsakaKishiwada, OsakaToyonaka, OsakaSuitaTakatsuki, OsakaHirakata, OsakaIbaraki, OsakaYao, OsakaNeyagawa, OsakaHigashiōsaka, OsakaKobeHimeji, HyōgoAmagasakiAkashi, HyōgoNishinomiyaKakogawa, HyōgoTakarazuka, HyōgoNara, NaraWakayamaTottoriMatsue, ShimaneOkayamaKurashiki, OkayamaHiroshimaKure, HiroshimaFukuyama, HiroshimaShimonosekiTakamatsu, KagawaMatsuyama, EhimeKōchi, KōchiKitakyushuFukuokaKurume, FukuokaSagaNagasakiSasebo, NagasakiKumamotoŌitaMiyazakiKagoshimaNaha, Okinawa
(Circle click-able)
■ ― Designated cities
■ ― Core cities
■ ― Special cities

The category of special cities was established by the Local Autonomy Law, article 252 clause 26. They were designated by the Cabinet after a request by a city council and a prefectural assembly.

Because the level of autonomy delegated to special cities was similar to that for core cities, after consultation with local governments the category of special cities was abolished in the revision of the Local Autonomy Act enacted on April 1, 2015. Cities with a population of at least 200,000 may now apply to be directly promoted to core city status. Special cities that have not been promoted may still retain autonomy, and are called special cities for the enforcement period (施行時特例市, Shikōji Tokurei shi), but this is regarded as a temporary arrangement. [1]

The special cities were not the same as the special wards of Tokyo. They were also different from the special (designated) cities (特別市, tokubetsu-shi) that were legally established under the Local Autonomy Law between 1947 and 1956, in an arrangement that was never implemented. They would have been prefecture-independent cities (in an analogous way, special wards are city-independent wards). They were the legal successors to the 1922 "six major cities" (roku daitoshi; only five were left in 1947 as Tokyo City had been abolished in the war) and precursors to the 1956 designated major cities that have expanded autonomy, but not full independence from prefectures.[2]

List of special cities

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As of 2015, when the category was abolished, 23 cities had been designated special cities:

Name Japanese Flag Emblem Area (km2) Population (2012) Date of designation Region Prefecture Map
Atsugi 厚木市     93.83 224,181 2002-04-01 Kantō Kanagawa  
Chigasaki 茅ヶ崎市     35.71 239,874 2003-04-01 Kantō Kanagawa  
Fuji 富士市     244.95 245,015 2001-04-01 Chūbu Shizuoka  
Hiratsuka 平塚市     67.88 260,061 2001-04-01 Kantō Kanagawa  
Ibaraki 茨木市     76.52 276,474 2001-04-01 Kansai Osaka  
Isesaki 伊勢崎市     139.44 207,253 2007-04-01 Kantō Gunma  
Jōetsu 上越市     973.81 202,366 2007-04-01 Chūbu Niigata  
Kakogawa 加古川市     138.51 268,175 2002-04-01 Kansai Hyōgo  
Kasugai 春日井市     92.78 306,573 2002-04-01 Chūbu Aichi  
Kasukabe 春日部市     66.00 236,976 2008-04-01 Kantō Saitama  
Kishiwada 岸和田市     72.68 197,629 2002-04-01 Kansai Osaka  
Kumagaya 熊谷市     159.82 201,814 2009-04-01 Kantō Saitama  
Nagaoka 長岡市     891.06 281,101 2007-04-01 Chūbu Niigata  
Numazu 沼津市     186.96 199,883 2000-04-01 Chūbu Shizuoka  
Odawara 小田原市     113.79 194,672 2000-04-01 Kantō Kanagawa  
Ōta 太田市     175.54 217,107 2007-04-01 Kantō Gunma  
Saga 佐賀市     431.84 237,501 2014-04-01 Kyushu Saga  
Sōka 草加市     27.46 244,851 2004-04-01 Kantō Saitama  
Takarazuka 宝塚市     101.89 227,617 2003-04-01 Kansai Hyōgo  
Tokorozawa 所沢市     72.11 344,194 2002-04-01 Kantō Saitama  
Tsukuba つくば市     283.72 244,528 2007-04-01 Kantō Ibaraki  
Yamato 大和市     27.09 230,357 2000-04-01 Kantō Kanagawa  
Yokkaichi 四日市市     206.44 306,107 2000-04-01 Chūbu Mie  

References

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  1. ^ 日本總務省 - 中核市・施行時特例市. soumo.go.jp.
  2. ^ Satoru Ohsugi (2011): The Large City System of Japan Council of Local Authorities for International Relations and Institute for Comparative Studies in Local Governance, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies. – Note: this paper translates tokurei-shi as "special case city" and uses "special city" for tokubetsu-shi
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