|
|
|
| Things not looking right? Site Best Viewed with FireFox |
The 23 special wards (特別区 tokubetsuku) are self-governing, special
municipalities in the central and most populous part of Tokyo, Japan. They are
classified as one of a kind in Japan, existing only in Tokyo. In Japanese, they are
usually called nijūsanku (23 区), simply meaning "23 wards."
They are special because although they are autonomous with each having a
local government, they must at the same time function seamlessly together as
one large urban entity in central Tokyo. To this end, certain public services are
handled by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government instead of the individual ward.
They include the water supply system, sewage disposal, and fire services.
To finance the joint public services provided to the 23 wards, the metropolitan
government levies some of the taxes that would normally be levied by city
governments, and also makes transfer payments to wards that cannot finance
their own local administration.
The word "special" distinguishes them from the wards (区 ku) of other major
Japanese cities. Before 1943, the wards of Tokyo City were no different from the
wards of Osaka or Kyoto. In 1943, when the Tokyo city government and
prefectural government merged into a single metropolitan government, the wards
were placed under the direct control of the metropolis.
Since the 1970s, the special wards of Tokyo have exercised a considerably
higher degree of autonomy than the wards in other cities, making them more like
independent cities than districts. Each special ward has its own elected mayor (区
長; kuchō) and assembly (区議会 kugikai).
In 2000, the National Diet designated the special wards as local public entities (地
方公共団体 chihō-kōkyō-dantai), giving them a status similar to cities. Since then,
they have been calling themselves "cities" instead of wards in English, even
though the Japanese designation of "ku" is unchanged. They have also taken
over certain public services metropolitan government such as garbage collection
and disposal.
The wards vary greatly in area (from 10 to 60 km²) and population (from less
than 40,000 to 830,000). Setagaya has the most people, while neighboring Ōta,
the largest area.
The total population of the 23 special wards was 8,483,140 as of October 1,
2005, about two-thirds of the population of Tokyo and a quarter of the population
of the Greater Tokyo Area. The 23 wards have a population density of 13,800
per square kilometre (35,600 per square mile).
municipalities in the central and most populous part of Tokyo, Japan. They are
classified as one of a kind in Japan, existing only in Tokyo. In Japanese, they are
usually called nijūsanku (23 区), simply meaning "23 wards."
They are special because although they are autonomous with each having a
local government, they must at the same time function seamlessly together as
one large urban entity in central Tokyo. To this end, certain public services are
handled by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government instead of the individual ward.
They include the water supply system, sewage disposal, and fire services.
To finance the joint public services provided to the 23 wards, the metropolitan
government levies some of the taxes that would normally be levied by city
governments, and also makes transfer payments to wards that cannot finance
their own local administration.
The word "special" distinguishes them from the wards (区 ku) of other major
Japanese cities. Before 1943, the wards of Tokyo City were no different from the
wards of Osaka or Kyoto. In 1943, when the Tokyo city government and
prefectural government merged into a single metropolitan government, the wards
were placed under the direct control of the metropolis.
Since the 1970s, the special wards of Tokyo have exercised a considerably
higher degree of autonomy than the wards in other cities, making them more like
independent cities than districts. Each special ward has its own elected mayor (区
長; kuchō) and assembly (区議会 kugikai).
In 2000, the National Diet designated the special wards as local public entities (地
方公共団体 chihō-kōkyō-dantai), giving them a status similar to cities. Since then,
they have been calling themselves "cities" instead of wards in English, even
though the Japanese designation of "ku" is unchanged. They have also taken
over certain public services metropolitan government such as garbage collection
and disposal.
The wards vary greatly in area (from 10 to 60 km²) and population (from less
than 40,000 to 830,000). Setagaya has the most people, while neighboring Ōta,
the largest area.
The total population of the 23 special wards was 8,483,140 as of October 1,
2005, about two-thirds of the population of Tokyo and a quarter of the population
of the Greater Tokyo Area. The 23 wards have a population density of 13,800
per square kilometre (35,600 per square mile).
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
