What is the capital of Japan?
Tokyo lies at the head of Tokyo Bay on the Kanto plain of Honshu, at the mouth of the Sumida river; it was formerly the castle town of Edo.
Tokyo is the capital and seat of government of Japan, a role it has held since 1868. Japan itself has an estimated population of 123,366,734 (2025).
Tokyo is also the largest city in Japan, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Tokyo at a glance
| City population | 14,000,000 (2023, Tokyo Metropolis) |
|---|---|
| Country | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Capital since | 1868 |
| Largest city in Japan | Tokyo |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| Currency | Japanese yen (JPY) |
About Tokyo
Tokyo has been the capital of Japan since 1868, when Emperor Meiji moved the seat of government from Kyoto to the city, which was renamed from Edo to Tokyo, meaning 'eastern capital'.
Kyoto was Japan's imperial capital for more than a thousand years before the capital moved to Tokyo in 1868.
The Greater Tokyo Area is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world, home to well over 30 million people.
The city grew from the fishing village and castle town of Edo into one of the world's largest cities under the Tokugawa shogunate.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Tokyo.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Japan?
Is Tokyo the largest city in Japan?
What is the population of Tokyo?
Where is Tokyo located?
When did Tokyo become the capital of Japan?
What was the capital of Japan before Tokyo?
What time zone is Tokyo in?
What currency is used in Tokyo?
See the full profile of Japan on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.