Largest cities in Japan by population

The 262 cities the United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2024 lists for Japan: the capital and every city of 100,000 or more, with the latest figure the country reported. The largest is Tokyo with 9,733,276 people.

Who runs cities in Japan?

Municipalities (about 1,720 shi, cho, son) and Tokyo's 23 special wards: Mayor and municipal assembly both directly elected for four years. Primary and lower secondary schools, welfare, waste, water, residents' registers, disaster response. Large 'designated cities' (20) take on prefectural tasks and are divided into administrative wards whose heads are officials, not elected.

How local power works in Japan · Level 3: local councils worldwide

#	City	Population	Date
1	Tokyo (capital)	9,733,276	2020
2	Yokohama	3,777,491	2020
3	Osaka	2,752,412	2020
4	Nagoya	2,332,176	2020
5	Sapporo	1,973,395	2020
6	Fukuoka	1,612,392	2020
7	Kawasaki	1,538,262	2020
8	Kobe	1,525,152	2020
9	Kyoto	1,463,723	2020
10	Saitama	1,324,025	2020
11	Hiroshima	1,200,754	2020
12	Sendai	1,096,704	2020
13	Chiba	974,951	2020
14	Kitakyushu	939,029	2020
15	Sakai	826,161	2020
16	Hamamatsu	790,718	2020
17	Niigata	789,275	2020
18	Kumamoto	738,865	2020
19	Sagamihara	725,493	2020
20	Okayama	724,691	2020
21	Shizuoka	693,389	2020
22	Funabashi	642,907	2020
23	Kawaguchi	594,274	2020
24	Kagoshima	593,128	2020
25	Hachioji	579,355	2020
26	Himeji	530,495	2020
27	Utsunomiya	518,757	2020
28	Matsuyama	511,192	2020
29	Matsudo	498,232	2020
30	Ichikawa	496,676	2020
31	Higashiosaka	493,940	2020
32	Nishinomiya	485,587	2020
33	Oita	475,614	2020
34	Kurashiki	474,592	2020
35	Kanazawa	463,254	2020
36	Fukuyama	460,930	2020
37	Amagasaki	459,593	2020
38	Fujisawa	436,905	2020
39	Machida	431,079	2020
40	Kashiwa	426,468	2020
41	Toyota	422,330	2020
42	Takamatsu	417,496	2020
43	Toyama	413,938	2020
44	Nagasaki	409,118	2020
45	Gifu	402,557	2020
46	Toyonaka	401,558	2020
47	Miyazaki	401,339	2020
48	Hirakata	397,289	2020
49	Yokosuka	388,078	2020
50	Suita	385,567	2020
51	Okazaki	384,654	2020
52	Ichinomiya	380,073	2020
53	Takasaki	372,973	2020
54	Nagano	372,760	2020
55	Toyohashi	371,920	2020
56	Wakayama	356,729	2020
57	Nara	354,630	2020
58	Kawagoe	354,571	2020
59	Takatsuki	352,698	2020
60	Otsu	345,070	2020
61	Tokorozawa	342,464	2020
62	Koshigaya	341,621	2020
63	Iwaki	332,931	2020
64	Maebashi	332,149	2020
65	Asahikawa	329,306	2020
66	Koriyama	327,692	2020
67	Kochi	326,545	2020
68	Naha	317,625	2020
69	Kasugai	308,681	2020
70	Akita	307,672	2020
71	Yokkaichi	305,424	2020
72	Akashi	303,601	2020
73	Kurume	303,316	2020
74	Morioka	289,731	2020
75	Ibaraki	287,730	2020
76	Fukushima	282,693	2020
77	Aomori	275,192	2020
78	Tsu	274,537	2020
79	Mito	270,685	2020
80	Ichihara	269,524	2020
81	Nagaoka	266,936	2020
82	Yao	264,642	2020
83	Fuchu	262,790	2020
84	Fukui	262,328	2020
85	Kakogawa	260,878	2020
86	Hiratsuka	258,422	2020
87	Shimonoseki	255,051	2020
88	Tokushima	252,391	2020
89	Hakodate	251,084	2020
90	Soka	248,304	2020
91	Yamagata	247,590	2020
92	Fuji	245,392	2020
93	Sasebo	243,223	2020
94	Chofu	242,614	2020
95	Chigasaki	242,389	2020
96	Tsukuba	241,656	2020
97	Matsumoto	241,145	2020
98	Yamato	239,169	2020
99	Saga	233,301	2020
100	Kasukabe	229,792	2020
101	Neyagawa	229,733	2020
102	Ageo	226,940	2020
103	Takarazuka	226,432	2020
104	Atsugi	223,705	2020
105	Hachinohe	223,415	2020
106	Ota	223,014	2020
107	Kure	214,592	2020
108	Isesaki	211,850	2020
109	Nishitokyo	207,388	2020
110	Matsue	203,616	2020
111	Nagareyama	199,849	2020
112	Yachiyo	199,498	2020
113	Kodaira	198,739	2020
114	Itami	198,138	2020
115	Higashihiroshima	196,608	2020
116	Suzuka	195,670	2020
117	Mitaka	195,391	2020
118	Kumagaya	194,415	2020
119	Yamaguchi	193,966	2020
120	Kishiwada	190,658	2020
121	Hino	190,435	2020
122	Kofu	189,591	2020
123	Numazu	189,386	2020
124	Odawara	188,856	2020
125	Tottori	188,465	2020
126	Joetsu	188,047	2020
127	Anjo	187,990	2020
128	Toyokawa	184,661	2020
129	Izumi	184,495	2020
130	Tachikawa	183,581	2020
131	Uji	179,630	2020
132	Narashino	176,197	2020
133	Hitachi	174,508	2020
134	Izumo	172,775	2020
135	Kamakura	172,710	2020
136	Urayasu	171,362	2020
137	Tomakomai	170,113	2020
138	Nishio	169,046	2020
139	Sakura	168,743	2020
140	Hirosaki	168,466	2020
141	Iwata	166,672	2020
142	Oyama	166,666	2020
143	Obihiro	166,536	2020
144	Takaoka	166,393	2020
145	Niiza	166,017	2020
146	Kushiro	165,077	2020
147	Ube	162,570	2020
148	Hadano	162,439	2020
149	Miyakonojo	160,640	2020
150	Matsusaka	159,145	2020
151	Ogaki	158,286	2020
152	Hitachinaka	156,581	2020
153	Tochigi	155,549	2020
154	Ueda	154,055	2020
155	Kariya	153,834	2020
156	Noda	152,638	2020
157	Kawanishi	152,321	2020
158	Higashimurayama	151,815	2020
159	Imabari	151,672	2020
160	Kuki	150,582	2020
161	Musashino	150,149	2020
162	Komaki	148,831	2020
163	Sayama	148,699	2020
164	Yonago	147,317	2020
165	Tama	146,951	2020
166	Iruma	145,651	2020
167	Ashikaga	144,746	2020
168	Kakamigahara	144,521	2020
169	Kusatsu	143,913	2020
170	Moriguchi	143,096	2020
171	Okinawa	142,752	2020
172	Misato	142,145	2020
173	Tsuchiura	142,074	2020
174	Fujieda	141,342	2020
175	Fukaya	141,268	2020
176	Asaka	141,083	2020
177	Toda	140,899	2020
178	Ishinomaki	140,151	2020
179	Koga	139,344	2020
180	Kuwana	138,613	2020
181	Shunan	137,540	2020
182	Minoh	136,868	2020
183	Yaizu	136,845	2020
184	Ebina	136,516	2020
185	Kisarazu	136,166	2020
186	Inazawa	134,751	2020
187	Isahaya	133,852	2020
188	Ome	133,535	2020
189	Narita	132,906	2020
190	Zama	132,325	2020
191	Onomichi	131,170	2020
192	Abiko	130,510	2020
193	Kokubunji	129,242	2020
194	Iwakuni	129,125	2020
195	Fujinomiya	128,105	2020
196	Seto	127,792	2020
197	Osaki	127,330	2020
198	Iizuka	126,364	2020
199	Koganei	126,074	2020
200	Uruma	125,303	2020
201	Kirishima	123,135	2020
202	Yatsushiro	123,067	2020
203	Ise	122,765	2020
204	Tsuruoka	122,347	2020
205	Ebetsu	121,056	2020
206	Kashihara	120,922	2020
207	Kadoma	119,764	2020
208	Daito	119,367	2020
209	Nobeoka	118,394	2020
210	Handa	117,884	2020
211	Matsubara	117,641	2020
212	Aizuwakamatsu	117,376	2020
213	Karatsu	117,373	2020
214	Konosu	116,828	2020
215	Ikoma	116,675	2020
216	Sano	116,228	2020
217	Niihama	115,938	2020
218	Urasoe	115,690	2020
219	Kitami	115,480	2020
220	Beppu	115,321	2020
221	Higashikurume	115,271	2020
222	Nasushiobara	115,210	2020
223	Kakegawa	114,954	2020
224	Hatsukaichi	114,173	2020
225	Hofu	113,979	2020
226	Akishima	113,949	2020
227	Tokai	113,787	2020
228	Hikone	113,647	2020
229	Nagahama	113,636	2020
230	Fujimino	113,597	2020
231	Oshu	112,937	2020
232	Higashiomi	112,819	2020
233	Ichinoseki	111,932	2020
234	Fujimi	111,859	2020
235	Kazo	111,623	2020
236	Otaru	111,299	2020
237	Omuta	111,281	2020
238	Kasuga	111,023	2020
239	Hakusan	110,408	2020
240	Kamagaya	109,932	2020
241	Marugame	109,513	2020
242	Sanda	109,238	2020
243	Habikino	108,736	2020
244	Tondabayashi	108,699	2020
245	Mishima	107,783	2020
246	Tajimi	106,732	2020
247	Kiryu	106,445	2020
248	Komatsu	106,216	2020
249	Ikeda	104,993	2020
250	Saijo	104,791	2020
251	Toride	104,524	2020
252	Chikushino	103,311	2020
253	Inzai	102,609	2020
254	Onojo	102,085	2020
255	Isehara	101,780	2020
256	Kawachinagano	101,692	2020
257	Kanoya	101,096	2020
258	Chikusei	100,753	2020
259	Sakado	100,275	2020
260	Sakata	100,273	2020
261	Izumisano	100,131	2020
262	Ginowan	100,125	2020

Countries define a city in different ways (the city proper, or the wider urban area) and report in different years, so cities in different countries are not always comparable.

More on Japan: official statistics · government and power · regions

Sources

United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 8: Population of capital cities and cities of 100 000 or more inhabitants, latest available year, 2005-2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c6784df022e…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.