Special cities of Japan facts for kids

(Circle click-able)
■ ― Designated cities
■ ― Core cities
■ ― Special cities

A special city (called Tokureishi in Japanese) was a type of city in Japan that existed until 2015. These cities were quite large, each having at least 200,000 people. They were given some special powers and responsibilities that usually belonged to the larger prefectural governments. These powers were similar to, but a bit less than, those given to "core cities".

The idea of special cities was created by a law called the Local Autonomy Law. To become a special city, a city council and a prefectural assembly had to ask the government for this special status. The government would then officially name them a special city.

Because special cities and core cities had very similar powers, the government decided to change the law. On April 1, 2015, the category of special cities was removed. Now, any city with at least 200,000 people can apply to become a core city directly. Some special cities that weren't promoted right away can still keep their special powers for a while. They are called "special cities for the enforcement period" (Shikōji Tokurei shi), but this is only a temporary plan.

It's important to know that special cities were different from the special wards of Tokyo. They were also not the same as the "special (designated) cities" (tokubetsu-shi) that were planned between 1947 and 1956 but never actually happened. Those older "special cities" would have been completely separate from their prefectures, like the special wards are separate from Tokyo City. The special cities we are talking about here had more freedom than regular cities, but they were still part of their prefectures.

What Were Special Cities Like?

Special cities were given more control over things like public health, city planning, and welfare services. This meant they could make more decisions locally without needing approval from the prefectural government for every little thing. It helped them manage their large populations and services more efficiently.

Why Did They Change the System?

The main reason for changing the system was to make things simpler. Having both "special cities" and "core cities" with similar powers caused some confusion. By removing the special city category, the government aimed to create a clearer system for how cities are managed in Japan. Now, cities can aim for the "core city" status, which gives them even more local control.

List of Former Special Cities

When the special city category was removed in 2015, there were 23 cities that had this special status. Here is a list of those cities:

Name	Japanese	Flag	Emblem	Area (km2)	Population (2012)	Date of designation	Region	Prefecture	Map
Atsugi	厚木市			93.83	224,181	2002-04-01	Kantō	Kanagawa
Chigasaki	茅ヶ崎市			35.71	239,874	2003-04-01	Kantō	Kanagawa
Fuji	富士市			244.95	245,015	2001-04-01	Chūbu	Shizuoka
Hiratsuka	平塚市			67.88	260,061	2001-04-01	Kantō	Kanagawa
Ibaraki	茨木市			76.52	276,474	2001-04-01	Kansai	Osaka
Isesaki	伊勢崎市			139.44	207,253	2007-04-01	Kantō	Gunma
Jōetsu	上越市			973.81	202,366	2007-04-01	Chūbu	Niigata
Kakogawa	加古川市			138.51	268,175	2002-04-01	Kansai	Hyōgo
Kasugai	春日井市			92.78	306,573	2002-04-01	Chūbu	Aichi
Kasukabe	春日部市			66.00	236,976	2008-04-01	Kantō	Saitama
Kishiwada	岸和田市			72.68	197,629	2002-04-01	Kansai	Osaka
Kumagaya	熊谷市			159.82	201,814	2009-04-01	Kantō	Saitama
Nagaoka	長岡市			891.06	281,101	2007-04-01	Chūbu	Niigata
Numazu	沼津市			186.96	199,883	2000-04-01	Chūbu	Shizuoka
Odawara	小田原市			113.79	194,672	2000-04-01	Kantō	Kanagawa
Ōta	太田市			175.54	217,107	2007-04-01	Kantō	Gunma
Saga	佐賀市			431.84	237,501	2014-04-01	Kyushu	Saga
Sōka	草加市			27.46	244,851	2004-04-01	Kantō	Saitama
Takarazuka	宝塚市			101.89	227,617	2003-04-01	Kansai	Hyōgo
Tokorozawa	所沢市			72.11	344,194	2002-04-01	Kantō	Saitama
Tsukuba	つくば市			283.72	244,528	2007-04-01	Kantō	Ibaraki
Yamato	大和市			27.09	230,357	2000-04-01	Kantō	Kanagawa
Yokkaichi	四日市市			206.44	306,107	2000-04-01	Chūbu	Mie

See also

In Spanish: Ciudad especial de Japón para niños