Editing Geography of Japan (section)

==Population distribution==
{{Main|Demographics of Japan}}
{{see also|List of cities in Japan}}
[[File:JapanCitiesTownsOMC.PNG|thumb|upright=2|A map of Japan's major cities, main towns and selected smaller centers]]
Japan has a population of 126.3 million in 2019.<ref name="SBJ-Population-June-2019">{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/jinsui/tsuki/index.html |title=Population Estimates Monthly Report June 2019 |date=June 20, 2019 |website=www.stat.go.jp |publisher=Statistics Bureau Japan|access-date=July 18, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606203315/http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/jinsui/tsuki/index.html |archive-date= June 6, 2019}}</ref> It is the [[List of countries and dependencies by population|eleventh-most populous country]] and the second-most populous island country in the world.<ref name="world-atlas"/> The population is clustered in urban areas along the coast, plains, and valleys.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> In 2010, 90.7% of the total Japanese population lived in cities.<ref>{{cite web |title=平成22年国勢調査最終報告書 人口の地域分布 |url=http://www.stat.go.jp/data/kokusei/2010/final/pdf/01-02.pdf |publisher=The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Statistics Bureau |access-date=2015-10-14 |archive-date=2018-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119105951/http://www.stat.go.jp/data/kokusei/2010/final/pdf/01-02.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Japan is an urban society, with about 5% of the labor force working in agriculture. About 80 million of the urban population is heavily concentrated on the Pacific coast of Honshu.<ref name="jpn-places">{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/today/placesinthenews/archive/2011arch/20110921_japan.html|title=Japan – Places in the News {{!}} Library of Congress|website=www.loc.gov|access-date=2017-01-30|archive-date=2017-02-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202062725/https://www.loc.gov/today/placesinthenews/archive/2011arch/20110921_japan.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

81% of the population lives on Honshu, 10% on Kyushu, 4.2% on Hokkaido, 3% on Shikoku, 1.1% in Okinawa Prefecture, and 0.7% on other Japanese islands such as the Nanpō Islands. Nearly 1 in 3 [[Japanese people]] live in the [[Greater Tokyo Area]], and over half live in the [[Greater Tokyo Area|Kanto]], [[Keihanshin|Kinki]], and [[Chūkyō metropolitan area|Chukyo]] metropolitan areas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statistics Bureau of Japan |title=Statistical Handbook of Japan 2020 |url=https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/pdf/2020all.pdf#page=21 |access-date=2021-04-19 |archive-date=2021-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419061817/https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/pdf/2020all.pdf#page=21 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Honshu===
{{nihongo|''[[Honshū]]''|本州}} is the largest island of Japan and the [[List of islands by population|second most populous island]] in the world. It has a population of 104,000,000 with a population density of {{Pop density|447|1|km2|sqmi}} (2010).<ref name="JPCensus">{{cite web |url=http://www.soumu.go.jp/main_sosiki/jichi_gyousei/c-gyousei/daityo/index.html |title=総務省{{pipe}}住基ネット |work=soumu.go.jp |access-date=2018-10-21 |archive-date=2021-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224144613/https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_sosiki/jichi_gyousei/c-gyousei/daityo/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Honshu is roughly {{convert|1300|km|abbr=on}} long and ranges from {{convert|50|to|230|km|mi|abbr=on}} wide, and the total area is {{convert|225,800|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. It is the [[List of islands by area|7th largest island]] in the world.<ref name="autogenerated5">{{cite web |url=http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm |title=Islands By Land Area |publisher=Islands.unep.ch |access-date=2010-08-01 |archive-date=2018-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220003634/http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> This makes it slightly larger than the island of Great Britain ({{convert|209,331|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}).<ref name="autogenerated5"/>

The Greater Tokyo Area on Honshu is the largest [[List of metropolitan areas by population|metropolitan area]] ([[megacity]]) in the world, with {{nts|38,140,000}} people (2016).<ref name="japan1">{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/c0117.htm |title=Table 2.10 Population of Three Major Metropolitan Areas |publisher=Statistics Bureau of Japan |access-date=26 November 2013 |archive-date=13 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113221530/http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/c0117.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/urbanization/the_worlds_cities_in_2016_data_booklet.pdf |title=The World's Cities in 2016 |last=United Nations |date=March 12, 2017 |website=United Nations |access-date=October 20, 2018 |archive-date=January 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112211410/http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/urbanization/the_worlds_cities_in_2016_data_booklet.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The area is {{convert|13,500|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}<ref name=MMA>[http://www.stat.go.jp/data/kokusei/2000/final/zuhyou/092.xls Japan Statistics Bureau – Keihin'yō Major Metropolitan Area] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210012525/http://www.stat.go.jp/data/kokusei/2000/final/zuhyou/092.xls |date=2007-02-10 }}</ref> and has a [[population density]] of 2,642 persons/km<sup>2</sup>.<ref>{{Citation |title=Demographia World Urban Areas: 12th Annual Edition: 2016:04 |date=2016 |url=http://demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013155105/http://demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf |publisher=Demographia|access-date=2007-05-10|archive-date=2016-10-13|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Kyushu===
{{nihongo|''[[Kyushu]]''|九州}} is the third-largest island of Japan of the five main islands.<ref name="main-islands-japan"/><ref>Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Kyūshū" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 588|page=588}}</ref> {{As of|2016}}, Kyushu has a population of 12,970,479 and covers {{convert|36782|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/islands-of-japan-1435071 |title=Discover the Geography of the 4 Main Islands of Japan |work=ThoughtCo |access-date=2018-09-26 |archive-date=2018-09-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926205952/https://www.thoughtco.com/islands-of-japan-1435071 |url-status=live }}</ref> It has the second-highest population density of 307.13 persons/km<sup>2</sup> (2016).

===Shikoku===
{{nihongo|''[[Shikoku]]''|四国}} is the second-smallest of the five main islands (after Okinawa Island), with {{convert|18,800|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. It is located south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. It has the second-smallest population of 3,845,534 (2015)<ref name="main-islands-japan"/><ref name=tourism>{{cite web |url=http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/pdf/pg-607.pdf |title=Shikoku and Awaji Island |publisher=Japan National Tourism Organization |date=September 2011 |access-date=2013-05-02 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204132833/http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/pdf/pg-607.pdf |archive-date=2013-02-04}}</ref> and the third-highest population density of 204.55 persons/km<sup>2</sup>.

===Hokkaido===
{{nihongo|''[[Hokkaido]]''|北海道}} is the second-largest island of Japan and the largest and northernmost prefecture. The [[Tsugaru Strait]] separates Hokkaido from Honshu.<ref name="nussbaum343">[[Louis Frédéric|Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric]]. (2005). "Hokkaido" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 343|page=343}}</ref> It has the third largest population of the five main islands, with 5,383,579 (2015),<ref name="main-islands-japan"/><ref name="JPCensus"/> and the lowest population density, with just 64.5 persons/km<sup>2</sup> (2016). The island area ranks 21st in the world by area. It is 3.6% smaller than the island of Ireland.

===Okinawa Prefecture===
{{nihongo|''[[Okinawa Prefecture]]''|沖縄県}} is the southernmost prefecture of Japan.<ref>Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Okinawa-shi" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 746-747|page=746}}</ref> It encompasses two-thirds of the Ryukyu Islands, over {{convert|1000|km}} long. It has a population of 1,445,812 (2017) and a density of 662 persons/km<sup>2</sup>. {{nihongo|''[[Okinawa Island]]''|沖縄本島 or 沖縄島}} is the smallest and most southwestern of the five main islands, at {{convert|1,206.98|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<ref name="main-islands-japan"/> It has the smallest population of 1,301,462 (2014) and the highest population density of 1083.6 persons/km<sup>2</sup>.

===Nanpō Islands===
{{nihongo|''[[Nanpō Islands]]''|南方諸島}} are the groups of islands that are located to the south and east of the main islands of the Japanese archipelago. They extend from the [[Izu Peninsula]] west of [[Tokyo Bay]] southward for about {{convert|1,200|km}} to within {{convert|500|km}} of the [[Mariana Islands]]. The Nanpō Islands are all administered by [[Tokyo Metropolis]].

===Taiheiyō Belt===
[[File:Major_metropolitan_employment_areas_of_Taiheiyō_Belt.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|right|[[Taiheiyō Belt]]]]
The [[Taiheiyō Belt]] is a [[megalopolis]] that includes the Greater Tokyo Area and [[Keihanshin]] megapoles. It is almost {{convert|1,200|km|mi|abbr=on}} long, from [[Ibaraki Prefecture]] in the northeast to [[Fukuoka Prefecture]] in the southwest. Satellite images at night show a dense and continuous strip of light (demarcating urban zones) that delineates the region with overlapping metropolitan areas in Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/~kitamoto/research/rs/world-lights.html.en |title=Satellite images of stable night time lights in Japan |access-date=2018-10-20 |archive-date=2006-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060216012218/http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/~kitamoto/research/rs/world-lights.html.en |url-status=live }}</ref> It has a total population of approximately 81,859,345 (2016).
* Taiheiyō Belt – includes [[Ibaraki Prefecture|Ibaraki]], [[Saitama Prefecture|Saitama]], [[Chiba Prefecture|Chiba]], [[Tokyo]], [[Kanagawa Prefecture|Kanagawa]], [[Shizuoka Prefecture|Shizuoka]], [[Aichi Prefecture|Aichi]], [[Gifu Prefecture|Gifu]], [[Mie Prefecture|Mie]], [[Kyoto Prefecture|Kyoto]], [[Osaka Prefecture|Osaka]], [[Hyōgo Prefecture|Hyōgo]], [[Wakayama Prefecture|Wakayama]], [[Okayama Prefecture|Okayama]], [[Hiroshima Prefecture|Hiroshima]], [[Yamaguchi Prefecture|Yamaguchi]], [[Fukuoka Prefecture|Fukuoka]], and [[Ōita Prefecture|Ōita]]. (81,859,345 people)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.meti.go.jp/committee/materials/downloadfiles/g60519c03j.pdf#page=4 |title=地域活性化戦略（案）資料 |publisher=Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry|access-date=August 13, 2016 |format=PDF |language=ja |page=4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923151046/http://www.meti.go.jp/committee/materials/downloadfiles/g60519c03j.pdf#page=4|archive-date=September 23, 2016|url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2015 Population Census |url=http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kokusei/2015/summary.htm |publisher=Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications|access-date=August 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825120347/http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kokusei/2015/summary.htm|archive-date=August 25, 2016|url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref>
** Greater Tokyo Area – Part of the larger [[Kantō region]], broadly includes Tokyo and [[Yokohama]]. (38,000,000 people)<ref>United Nations (March 12, 2017). "[https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/urbanization/the_worlds_cities_in_2016_data_booklet.pdf The World's Cities in 2016] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112211410/http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/urbanization/the_worlds_cities_in_2016_data_booklet.pdf |date=2017-01-12 }}" (PDF). United Nations</ref>
** [[Keihanshin]] – Part of the larger [[Kansai region]], includes Osaka, Kyoto, and [[Kobe]]. (19,341,976 people)<ref>[http://www.stat.go.jp/data/nenkan/back60/zuhyou/y0206000.xls Japan Statistics Bureau] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924120320/http://www.stat.go.jp/data/nenkan/back60/zuhyou/y0206000.xls |date=2015-09-24 }} – "2010 Census", retrieved August 23, 2015</ref>

===Underwater habitats===
There are plans to build [[underwater habitats]] in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone. Currently no underwater city is constructed yet. For example, the Ocean Spiral by [[Shimizu Corporation]] would have a floating dome 500 meters in diameter with hotels, residential and commercial complexes. It could be 15&nbsp;km long. This allows mining of the seabed, research and production of methane from carbon dioxide with micro-organisms. The Ocean Spiral was co-developed with [[Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology|JAMSTEC]] and [[Tokyo University]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shimz.co.jp/theme/dream/oceanspiral.html |title=Ocean Spiral |access-date=November 21, 2014 |language=ja |archive-date=November 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141123072243/http://www.shimz.co.jp/theme/dream/oceanspiral.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/11244758/City-of-the-future-sinks-into-the-ocean.html |title=City of the future sinks into the ocean |newspaper=Daily Telegraph |access-date=November 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908021259/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/11244758/City-of-the-future-sinks-into-the-ocean.html |archive-date = September 8, 2018}}</ref>