Tokyo 

(/ˈtoʊkioʊ/ TOH-kee-oh, /-kjoʊ/ -kyoh; Japanese: 東京, Tōkyō [toːkʲoː] ( listen)), officially

the Tokyo Metropolis (Japanese: 東京都, Tōkyō-to), is the capital[note 1][7] and most
populous prefecture of Japan. Located at the head of Tokyo Bay, the prefecture forms part of
the Kantō region on the central Pacific coast of Japan's main island of Honshu. Tokyo is the political
and economic center of the country, as well as the seat of the Emperor of Japan and the national
government. As of 2021, the prefecture has an estimated population of 13,960,236.[4] The Greater
Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with more than 37.393 million
residents as of 2020.[5]
Originally a fishing village, named Edo, the city became a prominent political center in 1603, when it
became the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. By the mid-18th century, Edo was one of the most
populous cities in the world at over one million. Following the end of the shogunate in 1868, the
imperial capital in Kyoto was moved to the city, which was renamed Tokyo (literally "eastern
capital"). Tokyo was devastated by the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, and again by Allied bombing
raids during World War II. Beginning in the 1950s, the city underwent rapid reconstruction and
expansion, going on to lead Japan's post-war economic recovery. Since 1943, the Tokyo
Metropolitan Government has administered the prefecture's 23 special wards (formerly Tokyo City),
various bed towns in the western area, and two outlying island chains.
Tokyo is the largest urban economy in the world by gross domestic product, and is categorized as
an Alpha+ city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Part of an industrial region
that includes the cities of Yokohama, Kawasaki, and Chiba, Tokyo is Japan's leading center of
business and finance. In 2019, it hosted 36 of the Fortune Global 500 companies.[8] In 2020, it ranked
fourth on the Global Financial Centres Index, behind New York City, London, and Shanghai.[9] Tokyo
has the world's tallest tower, Tokyo Skytree,[10] and the world's largest underground floodwater
diversion facility, MAOUDC.[11] The Tokyo Metro Ginza Line is the oldest underground metro line in
East Asia (1927).[12]
The city has hosted multiple international events, including the 1964 Summer
Olympics and Paralympics, the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics and three G7
Summits (1979, 1986, and 1993). Tokyo is an international center of research and development and
is represented by several major universities, notably the University of Tokyo. Tokyo Station is the
central hub for Japan's Shinkansen bullet train system, and the city is served by an extensive
network of rail and subways. Notable districts of Tokyo include Chiyoda (the site of the Imperial
Palace), Shinjuku (the city's administrative center), and Shibuya (a commercial, cultural and
business hub).