Major cities with the biggest area in Japan 2023

Sapporo was the largest major city in Japan based on city area in 2023, with a size of more than 1.12 thousand square kilometers. It was followed by Hiroshima, with a size of close to 907 square kilometers.

Overconcentration in Tokyo

Economic, political, and financial activity in Japan is heavily concentrated in Tokyo. With around 37.8 million inhabitants, the metropolitan area of Tokyo is the largest urban conglomeration in the world. Most of Japan’s largest companies have their headquarters in Tokyo and the region attracts many young people who move there to study or work. A breakdown of the net migration flow in Japan showed that the prefectures of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba, all part of the Tokyo metropolitan area, attract the largest number of people. In contrast, the majority of prefectures, especially those located in rural parts of the country, lose a substantial part of their population every year. 

Demographic trend in rural regions

The overconcentration of economic activity in Tokyo has an impact on the demographic situation in rural parts of the country. Japan’s population is shrinking and aging, and rural regions are particularly affected by this. Many young people leave their rural hometowns to seek better opportunities in urban parts of Japan, leaving behind an aging population. As a result, many rural communities in Japan struggle with depopulation and a notable share of municipalities are even threatened with disappearance in the coming decades.