- Core city
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Administrative divisions of Japan Prefectural level Prefectures
(都道府県 todōfuken)Subprefectural level Subprefectures
(支庁 shichō)
Municipal level Designated cities
(政令指定都市 seirei-shitei-toshi)
Core cities
(中核市 chūkaku-shi)
Special cities
(特例市 tokurei-shi)
Special wards (Tokyo)
(特別区 tokubetsu-ku)
Sub-municipal level Wards
(区 ku)This article is about the class of Japanese cities. For the coalition of English cities, see English Core Cities Group.A core city (中核市 Chūkakushi ) is a class of Japanese city created by the first clause of Article 252, Section 22 of the Local Autonomy Law of Japan. Core cities are delegated many functions normally carried out by prefectural governments, but not as many as designated cities. To become a candidate for core city status, a city must satisfy the following condition:
- A population greater than 300,000.
Application for designation is made by a city with the approval of both the city and prefectural assemblies.
Contents
List of core cities
As of 2009, 41 cities have been designated core cities:
Name Japanese Population (2010) Date of designation Region Prefecture Akita
秋田 323,363 1997-04-01 Tōhoku Akita Amagasaki
尼崎 453,608 2009-04-01 Kansai Hyōgo Aomori
青森 299,429 2006-10-01 Tōhoku Aomori Asahikawa
旭川 347,275 2000-04-01 Hokkaidō Hokkaidō Fukuyama
福山 461,471 1998-04-01 Chūgoku Hiroshima Funabashi
船橋 609,081 2003-04-01 Kantō Chiba Gifu
岐阜 413,239 1996-04-01 Chūbu Gifu Hakodate
函館 279,110 2005-10-01 Hokkaidō Hokkaidō Higashiōsaka
東大阪 509,632 2005-04-01 Kansai Osaka Himeji
姫路 536,338 1996-04-01 Kansai Hyōgo Iwaki
いわき 342,198 1999-04-01 Tōhoku Fukushima Kagoshima
鹿児島 605,940 1996-04-01 Kyushu Kagoshima Kashiwa
柏 404,079 2008-04-01 Kantō Chiba Kanazawa
金沢 462,478 1996-04-01 Chūbu Ishikawa Kawagoe
川越 342,714 2003-04-01 Kantō Saitama Kōchi
高知 343,416 1998-04-01 Shikoku Kōchi Kōriyama
郡山 338,772 1997-04-01 Tōhoku Fukushima Kumamoto
熊本 734,294 1997-04-01 Kyushu Kumamoto Kurashiki
倉敷 475,421 2002-04-01 Chūgoku Okayama Kurume
久留米 302,323 2008-04-01 Kyushu Fukuoka Maebashi
前橋 340,390 2009-04-01 Kantō Gunma Matsuyama
松山 517,088 2000-04-01 Shikoku Ehime Miyazaki
宮崎 400,352 1998-04-01 Kyushu Miyazaki Morioka
盛岡 298,572 2008-04-01 Tōhoku Iwate Nagano
長野 381,533 1999-04-01 Chūbu Nagano Nagasaki
長崎 443,469 1996-04-01 Kyushu Nagasaki Nara
奈良 366,528 2002-04-01 Kansai Nara Nishinomiya
西宮 482,790 2008-04-01 Kansai Hyōgo Ōita
大分 473,955 1997-04-01 Kyushu Ōita Okazaki
岡崎 372,472 2003-04-01 Chūbu Aichi Ōtsu
大津 337,629 2009-04-01 Kansai Shiga Shimonoseki
下関 280,987 2005-10-01 Chūgoku Yamaguchi Takamatsu
高松 419,291 1999-04-01 Shikoku Kagawa Takasaki
高崎 371,352 2011-04-01 Kantō Gunma Takatsuki
高槻 357,423 2003-04-01 Kansai Osaka Toyama
富山 421,890 2005-04-01 Chūbu Toyama Toyohashi
豊橋 376,861 1999-04-01 Chūbu Aichi Toyota
豊田 421,552 1998-04-01 Chūbu Aichi Utsunomiya
宇都宮 511,296 1996-04-01 Kantō Tochigi Wakayama
和歌山 369,400 1997-04-01 Kansai Wakayama Yokosuka
横須賀 418,448 2001-04-01 Kantō Kanagawa Former core cities
Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture
Sakai, Osaka Prefecture
- Designated on 1 April 1996, achieved the status of designated city on 1 April 2006.
Niigata, Niigata Prefecture
- Designated on 1 April 1996, achieved the status of designated city on 1 April 2007.
Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture
- Designated on 1 April 1996, achieved the status of designated city on 1 April 2007.
Okayama, Okayama Prefecture
- Designated on 1 April 1996, achieved the status of designated city on 1 April 2009.
Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture
- Designated on 1 April 2003, achieved the status of designated city on 1 April 2010.
Scheduled to become a core city
- April, 2012
- During 2013
- Undetermined date
Cities that meet the requirements but have not yet been nominated
The following cities have populations greater than 300,000 but have not yet been nominated. (Cities planning to apply for core city status are not shown. ※Special Cities)
Cities that do not meet the requirements but are planning to nominate
Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture - Seeking merger with Ojiya and Mitsuke.
Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture - Seeking merger with Kitamatsuura and Higashisonogi Districts.
Fukui, Fukui Prefecture - Was scheduled to merge with 4 municipalities but the city of Sabae withdrew from the conference and thus failed to reach the requisite of 300,000 people.
Notes
Metropolitan cities of Japan Tokyo Metropolis Designated cities Core cities Akita · Amagasaki · Aomori · Asahikawa · Fukuyama · Funabashi · Gifu · Hakodate · Higashiōsaka · Himeji · Iwaki · Kagoshima · Kanazawa · Kashiwa · Kawagoe · Kōchi · Kōriyama · Kumamoto · Kurashiki · Kurume · Maebashi · Matsuyama · Miyazaki · Morioka · Nagano · Nagasaki · Nara · Nishinomiya · Ōita · Okazaki · Ōtsu · Shimonoseki · Takamatsu · Takasaki · Takatsuki · Toyama · Toyohashi · Toyota · Utsunomiya · Wakayama · YokosukaSpecial cities Akashi · Atsugi · Chigasaki · Fuji · Fukui · Hachinohe · Hirakata · Hiratsuka · Ibaraki · Ichinomiya · Isesaki · Jōetsu · Kakogawa · Kasugai · Kasukabe · Kawaguchi · Kishiwada · Kōfu · Koshigaya · Kumagaya · Kure · Matsumoto · Mito · Nagaoka · Neyagawa · Numazu · Odawara · Ōta · Sasebo · Sōka · Suita · Takarazuka · Tokorozawa · Tottori · Toyonaka · Tsukuba · Yamagata · Yamato · Yao · YokkaichiPrefectural capitals
(not included above)Categories:- Subdivisions of Japan
- Cities in Japan
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