Editing Prefectures of Japan (section)

===''To''===
[[Tokyo]], [[capital city]] of Japan is referred to as {{Nihongo|''to''|都||{{IPA|ja|toꜜ|}}}}, which is often translated as "metropolis". The Japanese government translates {{Nihongo|''Tōkyō-to''|東京都||{{IPA|ja|toːkʲoꜜːto|}}}} as "Tokyo Metropolis" in almost all cases, and the government is officially called the "Tokyo Metropolitan Government".

Following the capitulation of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] in 1868, ''Tōkyō-fu'' (an urban prefecture like Kyoto and Osaka) was set up and encompassed the former city area of Edo under the [[Fuhanken sanchisei]]. After the [[abolition of the han system]] in the first wave of prefectural mergers in 1871/72, several surrounding areas (parts of [[Urawa prefecture|Urawa]], [[Kosuge prefecture|Kosuge]], [[Shinagawa prefecture|Shinagawa]] and [[Hikone domain|Hikone prefecture]]s) were merged into Tokyo, and under the system of (numbered) "large districts and small districts" ''(daiku-shōku)'', it was subdivided into eleven large districts further subdivided into 103 small districts, six of the large districts (97 small districts) covered the former city area of Edo.<ref>National Archives of Japan: [http://www.archives.go.jp/exhibition/digital/henbou/contents/11.html 『明治東京全図』] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102061207/https://www.archives.go.jp/exhibition/digital/henbou/contents/11.html |date=2023-01-02 }}</ref> When the ancient ritsuryō districts were reactivated as administrative units in 1878, Tokyo was subdivided into 15 [urban] districts ''(-[[Cities of Japan (1878–1889)|ku]])'' and initially six [rural] districts (''-[[Districts of Japan|gun]]''; nine after the [[Western Tokyo|Tama transfer]] from [[Kanagawa prefecture|Kanagawa]] in 1893, eight after the merger of [[Higashitama district, Tokyo|East Tama]] and [[Minamitoshima district, Tokyo|South Toshima]] into [[Toyotama district, Tokyo|Toyotama]] in 1896). Both urban and rural districts, like everywhere in the country, were further subdivided into urban units/towns/neighbourhoods ''(-chō/-machi)'' and rural units/villages ''(-mura/-son)''. The yet unincorporated communities on the Izu (previously part of [[Shizuoka prefecture|Shizuoka]]) and Ogasawara (previously directly Home Ministry-administrated) island groups became also part of Tokyo in the 19th century. When the modern municipalities – [district-independent] cities and [rural] districts containing towns and villages – were introduced under the [[Yamagata Aritomo|Yamagata]]-[[Albert Mosse|Mosse]] laws on local government and the simultaneous Great Meiji merger was performed in 1889, the 15 ''-ku'' became wards of [[Tokyo City]], initially Tokyo's only independent city ''(-shi)'', the six rural districts of Tokyo were consolidated in 85 towns and villages.<ref>Tokyo Metropolitan Archives: [http://www.soumu.metro.tokyo.jp/01soumu/archives/0714tokyo_ku.htm 大東京35区物語～15区から23区へ～東京23区の歴史] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071117143917/http://www.soumu.metro.tokyo.jp/01soumu/archives/0714tokyo_ku.htm |date=2007-11-17 }}</ref> In 1893, the three Tama districts and their 91 towns and villages became part of Tokyo. As Tokyo city's suburbs grew rapidly in the early 20th century, many towns and villages in Tokyo were merged or promoted over the years. In 1932, five complete districts with their 82 towns and villages were merged into Tokyo City and organised in 20 new wards. Also, by 1940, there were two more cities in Tokyo: [[Hachiōji, Tokyo|Hachiōji City]] and [[Tachikawa, Tokyo|Tachikawa City]].

In 1943, Tokyo City was abolished, ''Tōkyō-fu'' became ''Tōkyō-to'', and Tokyo-shi's 35 wards remained Tokyo-to's 35 wards, but submunicipal authorities of Tokyo-shi's wards which previously fell directly under the municipality, with the municipality now abolished, fell directly under prefectural or now "Metropolitan" authority. All other cities, towns and villages in Tokyo-fu stayed cities, towns and villages in Tokyo-to. The reorganisation's aim was to consolidate the administration of the area around the capital by eliminating the extra level of authority in Tokyo. Also, the governor was no longer called ''chiji'', but ''chōkan'' (~"head/chief [usually: of a central government agency]") as in Hokkaidō). The central government wanted to have greater control over all local governments due to Japan's deteriorating position in World War II – for example, all mayors in the country became appointive as in the Meiji era – and over Tokyo in particular, due to the possibility of emergency in the metropolis.

After the war, Japan was forced to decentralise Tokyo again, following the general terms of democratisation outlined in the [[Potsdam Declaration]]. Many of Tokyo's special governmental characteristics disappeared during this time, and the wards took on an increasingly municipal status in the decades following the surrender. Administratively, today's special wards are almost indistinguishable from other municipalities.

The postwar reforms also changed the map of Tokyo significantly: In 1947, the 35 wards were reorganised into the [[23 special wards]], because many of its citizens had either died during the war, left the city, or been drafted and did not return.{{citation needed|date=April 2013}} In the occupation reforms, special wards, each with their own elected assemblies (''kugikai'') and mayors (''kuchō''), were intended to be equal to other municipalities even if some restrictions still applied. (For example, there was during the occupation [[Tokyo Metropolitan Police|a dedicated municipal police agency for the 23 special wards/former Tokyo City]], yet the special wards public safety commission was not named by the special ward governments, but by the government of the whole "Metropolis". In 1954, independent municipal police forces were abolished generally in the whole country, and the prefectural/"Metropolitan" police of Tokyo is again responsible for the whole prefecture/"Metropolis" and like all prefectural police forces controlled by the prefectural/"Metropolitan" public safety commission whose members are appointed by the prefectural/"Metropolitan" governor and assembly.) But, as part of the "reverse course" of the 1950s some of these new rights were removed, the most obvious measure being the denial of directly elected mayors. Some of these restrictions were removed again over the decades. But it was not until the year 2000 that the special wards were fully recognised as municipal-level entities.

Independently from these steps, as Tokyo's urban growth again took up pace during the postwar economic miracle and most of the main island part of Tokyo "Metropolis" became increasingly core part of the [[Tokyo metropolitan area]], many of the other municipalities in Tokyo have transferred some of their authority to the Metropolitan government. For example, the [[Tokyo Fire Department]] which was only responsible for the 23 special wards until 1960 has until today taken over the municipal fire departments in almost all of Tokyo. A joint governmental structure for the whole Tokyo metropolitan area (and not only the western suburbs of the special wards which are part of the Tokyo prefecture/Metropolis") as advocated by some politicians such as former Kanagawa governor [[Shigefumi Matsuzawa]]<ref>The Japan Times, 4 December 2003: [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2003/12/04/national/few-warm-to-greater-tokyo-assembly-idea/ Few warm to greater-Tokyo assembly idea. Kanagawa chief pushes new administrative body to deal with regional issues] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527004316/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2003/12/04/national/few-warm-to-greater-tokyo-assembly-idea/ |date=2022-05-27 }}</ref> has not been established (see also [[Dōshūsei]]). Existing cross-prefectural fora of cooperation between local governments in the Tokyo metropolitan area are the Kantō regional governors' association ''(Kantō chihō chijikai)''<ref>Kanagawa prefectural government: [http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/cnt/f7700/ 関東地方知事会] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915083558/http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/cnt/f7700/ |date=2017-09-15 }}</ref><ref>Saitama prefectural government: [https://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/a0101/kanto/ 関東地方知事会] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531202438/https://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/a0101/kanto/ |date=2023-05-31 }}</ref> and the "[[Shutoken]] summit" (formally "conference of chief executives of nine prefectures and cities", ''9 to-ken-shi shunō kaigi'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.9tokenshi-syunoukaigi.jp/|title=九都県市首脳会議|website=www.9tokenshi-syunoukaigi.jp|access-date=2017-07-26|archive-date=2023-06-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610010549/http://9tokenshi-syunoukaigi.jp/|url-status=live}}</ref> But, these are not themselves local public entities under the local autonomy law and national or local government functions cannot be directly transferred to them, unlike the "[[Union of Kansai governments]]" ''(Kansai kōiki-rengō)''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kouiki-kansai.jp/|title=ホーム-関西広域連合|access-date=2017-07-26|archive-date=2023-08-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816104057/https://www.kouiki-kansai.jp/|url-status=live}}</ref> which has been established by several prefectural governments in the Kansai region.

There are some differences in terminology between Tokyo and other prefectures: police and fire departments are called {{Nihongo|''chō''|庁}} instead of {{Nihongo|''honbu''|本部}}, for instance. But the only functional difference between Tōkyō-to and other prefectures is that Tokyo administers wards as well as cities. Today, since the special wards have almost the same degree of independence as Japanese cities, the difference in administration between Tokyo and other prefectures is fairly minor.

In Osaka, several prominent politicians led by [[Tōru Hashimoto]], then mayor of [[Osaka|Osaka City]] and former governor of [[Osaka Prefecture]], proposed an [[Osaka Metropolis plan]], under which Osaka City, and possibly other neighboring cities, would be replaced by special wards similar to Tokyo's. The plan was narrowly defeated in [[2015 Osaka Metropolis Plan referendum|a 2015 referendum]], and again [[2020 Osaka Metropolis Plan referendum|in 2020]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Osaka metropolis plan rejected by slim margin in 2nd referendum |url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/11/602c90c5b457-voting-begins-in-2nd-referendum-on-osaka-metropolis-plan.html |access-date=14 July 2021 |agency=Kyodo News |date=2 November 2020 |archive-date=28 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728124533/https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/11/602c90c5b457-voting-begins-in-2nd-referendum-on-osaka-metropolis-plan.html |url-status=live }}</ref>