Western Tokyo, also known as the , or , consists of the part of Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 Prefecture to the west of the 23 special wards

Special wards of Tokyo

The are 23 municipalities that together make up the core and the most populous part of Tokyo, Japan. Together, they occupy the land that was the city of Tokyo before it was abolished in 1943. The special wards' structure was established under the Japanese Local Autonomy Law and is unique to...

.

Overview

Whereas the special wards occupy the space that was formerly the city of Tokyo

Tokyo City

was a municipality in Japan and part of Tokyo-Fu which existed from May 1, 1889 until its merger with its prefecture on July 1, 1943. The historical boundaries of Tokyo City are now occupied by independent special wards...

, western Tokyo consists of the 26 cities, three towns, and one village that were not part of the former city. The cities are:

Akiruno Akiruno, Tokyo is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 80,621 and a population density of 1,100 persons per km². The total area was 73.34 km².-Geography:... Akishima Akishima, Tokyo is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 112,521 and a population density of 6,490 persons per km²... Chōfu Chofu, Tokyo is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 224,878 and a population density of 10,440 persons per km². The total area was 21.53 km². Tokyo Stadium in Chōfu hosts soccer games for two J. League teams: F.C... Fuchū Fuchu, Tokyo is a city located in western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 255,394 and a population density of 8,700 persons per km². The total area was 29.34 km²... Fussa Fussa, Tokyo is a city located in western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 59,761 and a population density of 5,840 persons per km². The total area was 10.24 km²... Hachiōji Hachioji, Tokyo is a city located in Tokyo, Japan, about 40 kilometers west of the center of the special wards of Tokyo.As of January 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 551,901 and a population density of 2,962.27/km². The total area is 186.31 km². It is the eighth largest city in the... Hamura Hamura, Tokyo is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 57,145 and a population density of 5,770 persons per km². The total area was 9.91 km². The J-Pop singing duet Cazacy calls Hamura home.... Higashikurume Higashikurume, Tokyo is a city located in western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 116,006 and a population density of 8,980 persons per km²... Higashimurayama Higashimurayama, Tokyo is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 151,279 and a population density of 8,810 persons per km²... Higashiyamato Hino Hino, Tokyo is a city located in central Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 182,092 and a population density of 6,610 persons per km². The total area was 27.53 km².-Geography:... Inagi Inagi, Tokyo is a city located in Tokyo, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 81,134 and the density of 4,096.33 persons per km². The total area is 17.97 km².The city was founded on November 1, 1971.-History:... Kiyose Kiyose, Tokyo is a city in Tokyo, Japan.-Demography:As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 73,974 , the density of 7,222.87 persons per km² and there are 32,741 households in the city.-Geography:...

Kodaira Kodaira, Tokyo Kodaira redirects here. For the mathematician, see Kunihiko Kodaira. is a city located in the western region of Tokyo, Japan.The city has an estimated population of 180,049 with 82,179 households and a population density of 8,800.05 persons per km² as of July 1, 2011... Koganei Koganei, Tokyo is a city located in Tokyo, Japan. As of July 1, 2011, the city has an officially registered population of 116,055 with 56,296 households and a population density of 10,243.16 persons per km²... Kokubunji Kokubunji, Tokyo is a city in Tokyo, Japan.As of 1 June 2008, the city has an estimated population of 117,335 . The total area is 11.48 km²... Komae Komae, Tokyo is a municipality administered as a city, in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of 30 municipalities in the western portion of Tokyo metropolis known as the Tama Area.... Kunitachi Kunitachi, Tokyo is a city located in the western part of the metropolitan area of Tokyo, Japan. As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 74,623.- History :Kunitachi was founded on January 1, 1967... Machida Machida, Tokyo is a city located in the western part of the greater metropolis of Tokyo, Japan. The city was founded on February 1, 1958.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 424,669 and a population density of 5,928.65 persons per km². The total area is 71.63 km²... Mitaka Mitaka, Tokyo is a city located in Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 November 2010, the city has an estimated population of 176,737. The total area is 16.50 km² and is about 50 – 55 meters above sea level... Musashimurayama Musashimurayama, Tokyo is a city located in Tokyo, Japan.As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 66,150 and the density of 4,303.84 persons per km². The total area is 15.37 km².The city was founded on November 3, 1970.... Musashino Musashino, Tokyo is a city located in Tokyo, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 137,222 and a population density of 12,788.63 persons per km². The total area is 10.73 km².The city was founded on November 3, 1947... Nishitokyo Ōme Ome, Tokyo is a city located in Tokyo, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 139,932 and a density of 1,355.14 persons per km². The total area is 103.26 km².The characters 青梅 literally mean blue ume, or Japanese apricot.... Tachikawa Tachikawa, Tokyo is a city located in western Tokyo, Japan.As of February 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 178,064 and the density of 7,303.69 people per km². The total area is 24.38 km²... Tama Tama, Tokyo is a municipality classified as a city, located in Tokyo, Japan.Its southern half forms part of the Tama New Town project, Japan's largest residential development, constructed in the 1970s....

The towns of Hinode

Hinode, Tokyo

is a town in Nishitama District, Tokyo, Japan. As of 2005, it had a population of 16,023 and an area of 28.08 km², with a population density of 570.6/km².-Geography:The highest mountain is Mount Hinode at 902 m. The Hirai and Ōguno Rivers drain the town...

, Mizuho

Mizuho, Tokyo

is a town in Nishitama District, Tokyo, Japan. It was established on November 10, 1940, resulting from the merger of four villages and acquired additional land in 1958....

, Okutama

Okutama, Tokyo

is a town in Nishitama District, Tokyo. As of August 1, 2007, the town had a population of 6712 people, of which 3280 were men and 3432 were women. With an area of 225.63 km², it is the largest community in Tokyo. Mount Kumotori, Tokyo's highest peak at 2017 m, divides Okutama from the...

 and the village of Hinohara

Hinohara, Tokyo

is a municipality in Nishitama District, Tokyo, Japan. It is the only administrative unit left in the non-insular area of Tokyo that is still classified as a village...

 lie in Nishitama District.

The offshore islands of Tokyo (including the Bonin, Volcano

Volcano Islands

The Volcano Islands is a group of three Japanese islands south of the Bonin Islands that belong to the municipality of Ogasawara...

, Izu

Izu Islands

The are a group of volcanic islands stretching south and east from the Izu Peninsula of Honshū, Japan. Administratively, they form two towns and six villages; all part of Tokyo. The largest is Izu Ōshima, usually called simply Ōshima....

 island chains, and the uninhabited islands of Okinotorishima

Okinotorishima

is an atoll, which in English has multiple designations . Its original name was Parece Vela Spanish for "looks like a sail"...

 and Minamitorishima) are not considered part of Western Tokyo.

History

Under the Ritsuryō

Ritsuryo

is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei"...

 system, Western Tokyo was part of Musashi Province

Musashi Province

was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Prefecture, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama...

. The provincial capital was at Fuchū. The provincial temple (kokubunji) was at Kokubunji and the principal shrine (ichinomiya) was at Tama.

Western Tokyo previously consisted of three districts

Districts of Japan

The was most recently used as an administrative unit in Japan between 1878 and 1921 and is roughly equivalent to the county of the United States, ranking at the level below prefecture and above city, town or village. As of 2008, cities belong directly to prefectures and are independent from...

: (lit. "Western Tama") encompassed the present-day cities of Akiruno, Fussa, Hamura, and Ōme in addition to the four towns and villages that still remain a part of the district. (lit. "Southern Tama") covered the area now occupied by Hachiōji, Hino, Inagi, and Machida. With the formation of Inagi the last city to be created in Tokyo in 1971, the district ceased to exist. (lit. "Northern Tama") consisted of the locations of the present-day cities of Akishima, Chōfu, Fuchū, Higashikurume, Higashimurayama, Higashiyamato, Kiyose, Kodaira, Koganei, Kokubunji, Komae, Kunitachi, Mitaka, Musashimurayama, Musashino, Nishitokyo, and Tachikawa, as well as some land now in Setagaya

Setagaya, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood within the ward. The ward calls itself the City of Setagaya in English...

. With the establishment of the city of Musashimurayama in 1970, Kitatama District ceased to exist.