This article lists the ten most populous cities in Japan by decade, starting after the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The first Japanese Census was not conducted until 1920, but other civilian and military population counts were carried out in the prior years between 1872 and 1918, and those form the source data for this article. When data is not available right on the turn of the decade, the closest year is used.
In 1868, the Meiji Restoration deposed the Tokugawa Shogunate and founded the Empire of Japan. Many major cities had lost population since the Tokugawa Era, as samurai left the former castle towns after the collapse of the military order.
Source data is from "Nihon Chishi Teiyo" (日本地誌提要, the Japanese Topographical Outline).
Formerly known as Edo, its population is estimated to be over a million under the Tokugawa, but after the Meiji Restoration, roughly half the city's population emigrated. Nevertheless, Tokyo retained its position as Japan's largest city, which it had held since the mid 17th century.
Tokushima's last appearance in the top ten, and last appearance of any municipality from the island of Shikoku.
1881
Several major cities and towns actually lost population over the 1870s, as people continued to emigrate out of the former castle towns.
Source data is from the Fourth Joint Military-Government Report (第四回共武政表), a requisitioning document listing municipal populations and available resources and provisions.
In 1888, the government enacted a sweeping overhaul of the municipal government system, part of which involved a drastic program of municipality mergers. Overall, the "Great Meiji Mergers" cut the number of municipalities in Japan by more than three quarters, while dramatically increasing the size of many cities as they absorbed their surrounding towns and villages.
Source data is from the 1891 Imperial Japanese Registered Household Report (日本帝国民籍戸口表).
Osaka merged with more surrounding municipalities in 1925, bringing the city to roughly its current size. The second Japanese city to pass 2 million people, and the new most populous city in Japan.
Population briefly dipped below 2 million in the mid-1920s. For the first time since the early 17th century, Tokyo was no longer Japan's most populous city.
Osaka reached its peak population, becoming the second Japanese city to exceed 3 million people, alongside Tokyo. It has not yet surpassed its 1940 population.
First and last appearance in the top ten. Yahata was merged into the new city of Kitakyushu in 1963.
1950
Japan emerged from the Second World War in defeat, under temporary American administration. Many cities had been attacked by American bomber forces, and many of the largest cities suffered further loss as residents evacuated to more rural regions of the country. Cities, though, were already recovering quickly from their wartime lows.
In 1943, the imperial government dissolved the City of Tokyo into its constituent wards, but the Census has continued to treat it as one municipality ever since. Tokyo lost more than a million people to bombing and evacuation.
First appearance in the top ten. Sapporo was not severely attacked during the war.
1960
A series of municipal mergers throughout the 1950s known as the "Great Showa Mergers" cut the number of municipalities in Japan by almost two thirds, significantly increasing the size of many cities in the process. By this time, almost all of Japan's largest cities had recovered war losses and exceeded their prewar populations.
Second appearance in the top ten, and last appearance until 1990.
1970
Tokyo and Osaka began to experience a trend of suburbanization, as people left the cities for the less densely peopled surrounding municipalities. Other major cities continued to grow rapidly.
Last appearance in the top ten. To date, 1980 is the city's population record. Kitakyushu subsequently began losing people, dropping below a million by 2005.
Third appearance in the top ten. Population passed a million for the first time.
2000
By 2002, the ongoing suburbanization drawing population from Tōkyō and Ōsaka was showing signs of abating, with people slowly moving back into the cities proper.
In the mid-2000s, another series of municipal mergers was enacted. The "Great Heisei Mergers" nearly halved the number of municipalities in Japan, once again increasing the size of some cities significantly and creating new towns and cities. Despite a mounting population loss in rural areas and some smaller cities, Japan's major cities continue to grow.
Government Statistics Portal- For all Census data, Used for 1920–2010 populations. Written in Japanese language*. * Note: these are written in Japanese. If you do not know the Japanese language, we recommend use a translator while visiting these sites. *
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