OVERVIEW OF TOKYO

TOKYO'S GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY AND POPULATION

Population of Tokyo

Population Summary

As of October 1, 2007, the population of Tokyo is estimated to be 12.790 million, or about 10% of Japan's total population, and it has the largest population among all the 47 prefectures.

At 2,187 square kilometers, the area of Tokyo is 0.6% of the total area of Japan, making it the third smallest of Japan's 47 prefectures. With a population density of 5,847 persons per square kilometer, Tokyo is the most densely populated prefecture in Japan.

The 23 special-ward area is home to 8.653 million persons, the Tama area 4.109 million, and the Islands 28,000. Tokyo has 6.088 million households, with an average 2.10 persons per household. The number of registered foreign residents reached 386,000 as of October 1, 2007, some 1.4 times more than the total figure ten years earlier.

Trends in Population in Tokyo and Gross Metropolitan Product

Sources: Statistics Division, Bureau of General Affairs, TMG; "Population of Tokyo (estimates)" and "Tokyo's Economic Calculation"

Population Movement

The population movement between Tokyo and other prefectures in 2006 showed a total movement of 785,000 persons with 438,000 persons moving into Tokyo while 347,000 persons moved out, for a net social increase of 90,000 persons. With the exception of 1985, there was a prevailing trend of depopulation since 1967, until a net population increase was seen for the first time in twelve years in 1997. 2006 again showed a net increase.

Looking at the movement between Tokyo and the three adjacent prefectures (Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa prefectures), 198,000 people came into Tokyo while 185,000 moved out, constituting a total movement of 383,000 persons, or 48.7% of the total population movement, and resulting in a net social increase of 13,000 persons.

During the year 2006 there were 102,000 births and 94,000 deaths, a net natural increase of 8,000. This increase, however, has been declining since the peak 182,000 in 1968.

Proportion of Workers in Tokyo Metropolis by Place of Residence	Population Commuting into Tokyo Metropolis by Prefe cture (2000)
	The arrows indicate workers who live in neighboring prefectures and commute into Tokyo. Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications; "Population Census"

Demographic Composition by Age

According to the January 1, 2007 Basic Registry of Residents, 12.339 million people were registered as residents of Tokyo. This number was divided into three age categories: juveniles (ages 0 - 14) at 1.461 million; the working age population (ages 15 - 64) at 8.546 million; and the aged population (65 years old and over) at 2.332 million. These figures are 11.8%, 69.3%, and 18.9%, respectively, of the overall population.

The ratio of aged persons in 1978 exceeded the United Nations standard of 7% for an "aging country," and the pace of increase has been accelerating since then, exceeding the "aged society" standard of 14% in 1998.

Trends in Population by Three Age Groups

Source: Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications; "Population Census"

Labor Force Population

As of October 1, 2005, the population aged 15 years and older was 10.991 million persons, of whom 5.916 million were employed and 354,000 fully unemployed within a total labor force population of 6.27 million persons.

- Demographic Composition by Industry

According to the National Census of 2005, when working people were separated into three industrial groups, 26,000 persons (0.4%) were employed in the primary industries of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; 1.109 million (18.7%) in secondary industries of mining, construction, and manufacturing; and 4.576 million (77.4%) in tertiary industries of commerce, transportation, communication, and services.

Trends in 3 Industrial Classes by Employed Population

Source: Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications; "Population Census"

- Demographic Composition by Occupation

According to the National Census of 2005, when working people were separated into four employment groups, 28,000 persons (0.5%) were employed in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; 1.343 million (22.7%) in manufacturing- and transportation-related occupations; 1.718 million (29.0%) in sales and services; and 2.827 million (47.8%) in clerical, technical, and management occupations.

Daytime and Nighttime Population

The National Census in 2005 lists the daytime population of Tokyo as 14.978 million people, which is 2.562 million more than the nighttime population figure of 12.416 million. This makes the daytime population 1.2 times more than that of the nighttime population; the daytime population index is 120.6 against the nighttime population taken at 100.This difference is caused by the population of commuting workers and students, constituting a daytime influx from the three neighboring prefectures of Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa.

The daytime population, broken down by area, shows 11.285 million in the ward area, 3.664 million in the Tama area and 29,000 persons in the islands. The daytime population indices for these three areas are 135.1, 90.8, and 101.5, respectively, and the ward figure is noticeably higher. Remarkably, the three Tokyo core wards - Chiyoda, Chuo and Minato - have a nighttime population of 326,000 persons and a daytime population of 2.410 million, making their daytime population more than eight times the nighttime population.

Changes in the metropolis since 1965 show that in the period up to 2005, while the nighttime population increased by 1.55 million (14.2%), the daytime population had a much greater increase of 3.23 million (27.5%), bringing about a large imbalance.

Changes in Tokyo's Daytime and Nighttime Populations

Both daytime and nighttime population exclude persons whose ages are unknown. Source: Statistics Division, Bureau of General Affairs, TMG; "Daytime Population in Tokyo"