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The special wards of Tokyo (東京23区, Tōkyō 23-ku^?) 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. Within the country, this type of administrative division is unique to Tokyo. In Japanese, their formal name is "special wards" (特別区, tokubetsu ku^?), and collectively they are commonly known as the "twenty-three wards" (23区, nijūsan-ku^?).

They are special because although they are autonomous local governments, they at the same time function seamlessly together as one large urban entity in central Tokyo. To this end, certain public services are handled by the government of the larger prefecture, whereas cities normally provide these services themselves. They include water supply, sewage disposal, and fire services. To finance the joint public services it provides to the twenty-three wards, the metropolitan government levies some of the taxes that would normally be levied by city governments, and also makes transfer payments to wards that cannot finance their own local administration.

The word "special" distinguishes them from the wards (区, ku^?) of other major Japanese cities. Before 1943, the wards of Tokyo City were no different from the wards of Osaka or Kyoto. In 1943, when the Tokyo city government and prefectural government merged into a single prefectural government, the wards were placed under the direct control of the prefecture.

Since the 1970s, the special wards of Tokyo have exercised a considerably higher degree of autonomy than the wards in other cities, making them more like independent cities than districts. Each special ward has its own elected mayor (区長, kuchō^?) and assembly (区議会, kugikai^?).

In 2000, the National Diet designated the special wards as local public entities (地方公共団体, chihō kōkyō dantai^?), giving them a status similar to cities. Since then, they have been calling themselves "cities" instead of wards in English, even though the Japanese designation of tokubetsuku is unchanged. They have also taken over certain public services metropolitan government, such as garbage collection and disposal.

The wards vary greatly in area (from 10 to 60 km²) and population (from less than 40,000 to 830,000), and some are expanding as artificial islands are built. Setagaya has the most people, while neighboring Ōta has the largest area.

The total population of the twenty-three special wards was 8,483,140 as of October 1, 2005 [1], about two-thirds of the population of Tokyo and a quarter of the population of the Greater Tokyo Area. The twenty-three wards have a population density of 13,800 per square kilometre (35,600 per square mile).

Map of mainland Tokyo showing the twenty-three special wards in (yellow).

Many important neighborhoods are located in Tokyo's special wards:

Akasaka 

A district with a range of restaurants, clubs and hotels; many pedestrian alleys giving it a local neighbourhood feel. Next to Roppongi, Nagatachō, and Aoyama.

Akihabara 

A densely arranged shopping district for electronics and otaku goods.

Aoyama 

A neighborhood of Tokyo with parks, an enormous cemetery, expensive housing, trendy cafes and international restaurants. Includes the Omotesandō subway station.

Ginza and Yūrakuchō 

Major shopping and entertainment district with department stores, upscale shops selling brand-name goods, and movie theaters.

Ikebukuro 

The busiest interchange in north central Tokyo, featuring Sunshine City and various shopping destinations.

Marunouchi and Ōtemachi 

The main financial and business district of Tokyo has many headquarters of banks, trading companies and other major corporations. The area is seeing a major redevelopment with new buildings for shopping and entertainment constructed in front of Tokyo Station's Marunouchi side.

Nagatachō 

The political heart of Tokyo and the nation. It is the location of the Diet, government ministries, and party headquarters.

Odaiba 

A large, reclaimed, waterfront area that has become one of Tokyo's most popular shopping and entertainment districts.

Roppongi 

Home to the rich Roppongi Hills area, an active night club scene, and a relatively large presence of Western tourists and expatriates.

Shibuya 

A long-time center of shopping, fashion, nightlife and youth culture.

Shinagawa 

In addition to the major hotels on the west side of Shinagawa Station, the former sleepy east side of the station has been redeveloped as a major center for business.

Shinbashi 

An area revitalized by being the gateway to Odaiba and the Shiodome Shiosite complex of high-rise buildings.

Shinjuku 

Location of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. The area is best known for Tokyo's early skyscrapers, erected in the 1970s. Major department stores, electronics stores and hotels can also be found here. On the east side of Shinjuku Station, Kabukichō is known for its many bars and nightclubs. Shinjuku Station moves an estimated three million passengers a day, making it the busiest in the world.

Ueno 

Ueno Station serves commuters to and from areas north of Tokyo. Besides department stores and shops in Ameyoko, Ueno boasts Ueno Park, Ueno Zoo and major national museums. In spring, Ueno Park and adjacent Shinobazu Pond are popular places to view cherry blossoms.

• capital of Japan
• Local Autonomy Law
• Wards of Japan
• List of Japanese cities by population

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Wards in Tokyo

• Tokyo Metropolitan Government explanation of special wards (in English)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government statistics (in Japanese)