Capital of Japan

The current capital of Japan is Tokyo. In the course of history, the national capital has been in many locations other than Tokyo.

Traditionally, the home of the Emperor is considered the capital. From 794 through 1868, the Emperor lived in Heian-kyō, modern-day Kyoto. After 1868, the seat of the Government of Japan and the location of the Emperor's home was moved to Tokyo.

In 1941, the Ministry of Education published the "designation of Tokyo as capital" (東京奠都, Tōkyō-tento^?).

While no laws have designated Tokyo as the Japanese capital, many laws have defined a "capital area" (首都圏, shuto-ken^?) that incorporates Tokyo. Article 2 of the Capital Area Consolidation Law (首都圏整備法^?) of 1956 states: "In this Act, the term 'capital area' shall denote a broad region comprising both the territory of Tokyo Metropolis as well as outlying regions designated by cabinet order." This clearly 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.

Other laws referring to this "capital area" include the Capital Expressway Public Corporation Law (首都高速道路公団法^?) and the Capital Area Greenbelt Preservation Law (首都圏近郊緑地保全法^?).

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