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Japan has no current law formally designating Tokyo as its capital.

The Claim

Tokyo is the de jure capital of Japan.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

Japan’s legal sources do not support the statement that Tokyo is the de jure capital. The only law that explicitly used capital-city language for Tokyo was repealed, and later laws define a capital region around Tokyo without legally naming a capital city. Tokyo is the de facto seat of government and is commonly called the capital, but that is not the same as current formal legal designation.

Caveats

  • Do not confuse de facto capital status with de jure status; Tokyo clearly has the former, but the legal basis for the latter is absent.
  • The 1950 Capital City Construction Law is no longer in force, so it cannot establish Tokyo’s current formal status.
  • Foreign references and common usage often call Tokyo the capital, but they are not authoritative on Japan’s internal legal designation.

The Receipts

  1. Capital City Construction Law

    Japanese Law Translation (Ministry of Justice, Japan)

  2. Capital Region Development Act

    Japanese Law Translation (Ministry of Justice, Japan)

  3. 首都を定める法律

    参議院法制局

  4. 日本の首都に関する質問主意書

    衆議院

  5. Capital Region Development policy pages

    国土交通省 (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism)

  6. 首都圏整備法

    e-Gov法令検索（日本法令データベース）

  7. Act on the Capital Zone (Law No. 83 of 1956)

    Japanese Law Translation

  8. Japan

    CIA World Factbook

  9. Cabinet Office pages on the capital region and Tokyo’s governmental functions

    内閣府 (Cabinet Office, Japan)

  10. 首都・首都機能の現行法制度における規定について

    大阪府

+ 8 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

JapanTokyo

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