Misplaced Pages

#294705

116-411: Mag Garden was founded on June 5, 2001, by Yoshihiro Hosaka, who previously worked as an editor from Enix (now Square Enix ) before leaving. It started out as a spin-out company from Enix's manga publishing division before the company merged with Square . The Square-Enix merger resulted in an uprising with some of the manga artist staff. Fearing their manga being dropped out of publication and tired of

232-588: A company founded by former Chunsoft staff dedicated to developing Dragon Quest titles. Heartbeat would handle main series production until going on sabbatical in 2002. From 1994, Enix acted as publisher for Horii's Itadaki Street series, taking over the series from ASCII. They also frequently acted as publisher for titles from Tamtam, and created the Dragon Quest Monsters spin-off series with developer Tose . Enix were initially pitched unsuccessfully by Wolf Team with Tales of Phantasia , which

348-697: A critical and commercial success, selling over one million copies in Japan. The success of Dragon Quest spawned a franchise of the same name , which would become Enix's highest-grossing property. Horii, Sugiyama and Toriyama remained mainstays with the series. Chunsoft developed the next five Dragon Quest titles. While the Dragon Quest series proved successful, Enix continued publishing PC titles to maintain financial stability. The company also began selling merchandise themed after Dragon Quest in 1988 with character statues and toys, expanding to board and card games

464-403: A game prototype which could be published by Enix. Among the winners were Yuji Horii , then a writer for Weekly Shōnen Jump , with the sports game Love Match Tennis ; designer Koichi Nakamura with the puzzle game Door Door ; and self-trained programmer Kazuro Morita with the simulation video game Morita's Battlefield . During the next few years, Enix would publish titles for both

580-534: A goal of increasing roadside trees in Tokyo to 1 million (from 480,000), and adding 1,000 ha (2,500 acres) of green space, 88 ha (220 acres) of which will be a new park named "Umi no Mori" (Sea Forest) which will be on a reclaimed island in Tokyo Bay which used to be a landfill. From 2007 to 2010, 436 ha (1,080 acres) of the planned 1,000 ha of green space was created and 220,000 trees were planted, bringing

696-698: A leading global financial hub has diminished with the Lost Decades since the 1990s—when the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) was the world's largest, with a market capitalization about 1.5 times that of the NYSE —the city is still a large financial hub, and the TSE remains among the world's top five major stock exchanges . Tokyo is categorized as an Alpha+ city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network . The city

812-432: A lesser extent Chiba and Ibaraki . Tokyo has been hit by powerful megathrust earthquakes in 1703, 1782, 1812, 1855, 1923, and much more indirectly (with some liquefaction in landfill zones) in 2011 ; the frequency of direct and large quakes is a relative rarity. The 1923 earthquake , with an estimated magnitude of 7.9, killed more than 100,000 people, the last time the urban area was directly hit. Mount Fuji

928-468: A local government. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government administers the whole metropolis including the 23 special wards and the cities and towns that constitute the prefecture. It is headed by a publicly elected governor and metropolitan assembly. Its headquarters is in Shinjuku Ward. The governor of Tokyo is elected every four years. The incumbent governor, Yuriko Koike , was elected in 2016, following

1044-462: A major shopping and entertainment center. Various plans have been proposed for transferring national government functions from Tokyo to secondary capitals in other regions of Japan, to slow down rapid development in Tokyo and revitalize economically lagging areas of the country. These plans have been controversial within Japan and have yet to be realized. On September 7, 2013, the IOC selected Tokyo to host

1160-539: A mass departure of creatives and legal battles with Enix over manga copyright ownership. The issues were resolved in 2003 when Enix agreed to partially invest in Mag Garden. The manga division's troubles were lessened with the beginning of Fullmetal Alchemist , which proved highly popular. Enix also suffered from financial losses due to the delayed releases of Dragon Quest VII (2000) and Dragon Quest Monsters 2 (2001). Some notable titles begun or announced during

1276-430: A number of successful series, was credited by critic Tsuyoshi Ito with helping manga appeal to a wider cross-demographic audience that blending the shōnen and shōjo manga styles. Hosaka also credited Enix with introducing fantasy into the wider mainstream market, and as a pioneer of publishers directly investing in and having creative input into anime adaptations of their work. Tokyo Tokyo , officially

SECTION 10

#1732863292295

1392-493: A period of turbulence as several editors expressed dissatisfaction with Enix's focus on Dragon Quest media and the shōnen demographic, a growing lack of creative freedom, and rising tensions between authors and editors. Editor Yoshihiro Hosaka and a number of other Gangan associates founded Mag Garden in 2001, which became a market rival through the Monthly Comic Blade magazine. Mag Garden's foundation triggered

1508-502: A publishing company focused on advertising tabloids for real estate. On February 5, 1980, Eidansha Boshu created a wholly owned subsidiary Eidansya Fudousan for the purpose of specializing in real estate trading and brokerage, being renamed Eidansha Systems the following year. It was based in Shinjuku , Tokyo . During 1982 Eidansha Boshu made an unsuccessful attempt to become a nationwide chain. Fukushima decided to invest his capital into

1624-774: A steady relationship with Production I.G as they have both collaborated on such cross-media anime/manga projects like Ghost Hound and Sisters of Wellber . Previously, Production I.G was Mag Garden's #2 shareholder as they owned 15% of their stock. The merger was completed on December 1, 2007, in which Mag Garden has officially become a subsidiary of IG Port. Among the manga artists who moved to Mag Garden were Kozue Amano , Rin Asano, Mayumi Azuma , Nanae Chrono, Moyamu Fujino, Maki Hakoda, Sakura Kinoshita , Satomi Kubo, Hiro Matsuba, Minene Sakurano , Kazusa Saitou, Kaili Sorano, Seiuchirou Todono, Sirou Tunasima, and Natsuki Yoshimura. Active Discontinued Enix Enix Corporation

1740-490: A wetter summer and a drier winter. The growing season in Tokyo lasts for about 322 days from around mid-February to early January. Snowfall is sporadic, and occurs almost annually. Tokyo often sees typhoons every year, though few are strong. The wettest month since records began in 1876 was October 2004, with 780 millimeters (30 in) of rain, including 270.5 mm (10.65 in) on the ninth of that month. The most recent of four months on record to observe no precipitation

1856-520: A world city is said to have depreciated greatly during these three decades. Nonetheless, Tokyo still saw new urban developments during this period. Recent projects include Ebisu Garden Place, Tennōzu Isle , Shiodome , Roppongi Hills , Shinagawa , and the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station . Land reclamation projects in Tokyo have also been going on for centuries. The most prominent is the Odaiba area, now

1972-677: Is Shofukuji in Higashi-Murayama . The current building was constructed in 1407, during the Muromachi period (1336–1573). Although greatly reduced in number by later fires, earthquakes, and air raids, a considerable number of Edo-era buildings survive to this day. The Tokyo Imperial Palace , which was occupied by the Tokugawa Shogunate as Edo Castle during the Edo Period (1603–1868), has many gates and towers dating from that era, although

2088-527: Is 40 m (131 ft). Chiba Prefecture borders it to the east, Yamanashi to the west, Kanagawa to the south, and Saitama to the north. Mainland Tokyo is further subdivided into the special wards (occupying the eastern half) and the Tama area ( 多摩地域 ) stretching westwards. Tokyo has a latitude of 35.65 (near the 36th parallel north ), which makes it more southern than Rome (41.90), Madrid (40.41), New York City (40.71) and Beijing (39.91). Within

2204-473: Is December 1995. Annual precipitation has ranged from 879.5 mm (34.63 in) in 1984 to 2,229.6 mm (87.78 in) in 1938. See or edit raw graph data . Tokyo's climate has warmed significantly since temperature records began in 1876. The western mountainous area of mainland Tokyo, Okutama also lies in the humid subtropical climate (Köppen classification: Cfa ). The climates of Tokyo's offshore territories vary significantly from those of

2320-693: Is a reference to the original settlement's location at the meeting of the Sumida River and Tokyo Bay . During the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the name of the city was changed to Tokyo ( 東京 , from 東 tō "east", and 京 kyō "capital") , when it became the new imperial capital, in line with the East Asian tradition of including the word capital ( 京 ) in the name of the capital city (for example, Kyoto ( 京都 ), Keijō ( 京城 ), Beijing ( 北京 ), Nanjing ( 南京 ), and Xijing ( 西京 )). During

2436-512: Is about 100 km (62 mi) southwest of Tokyo. There is a low risk of eruption. The last recorded was the Hōei eruption which started on December 16, 1707, and ended about January 1, 1708 (16 days). During the Hōei eruption, the ash amount was 4 cm in southern Tokyo (bay area) and 2 cm to 0.5 cm in central Tokyo. Kanagawa had 16 cm to 8 cm ash and Saitama 0.5 to 0 cm. If

SECTION 20

#1732863292295

2552-505: Is also recognized as one of the world's most livable ones; it was ranked fourth in the world in the 2021 edition of the Global Livability Ranking . Tokyo has also been ranked as the safest city in the world in multiple international surveys. Tokyo was originally known as Edo ( 江戸 ) , a kanji compound of 江 ( e , "cove, inlet") and 戸 ( to , "entrance, gate, door"). The name, which can be translated as " estuary ",

2668-574: Is an international research and development hub and an academic center with several major universities , including the University of Tokyo , the top-ranking university in the country. Tokyo Station is the central hub for the Shinkansen , Japan's high-speed railway network, and Shinjuku Station in Tokyo is the world's busiest train station. The city is home to the world's tallest tower, Tokyo Skytree . The Tokyo Metro Ginza Line , which opened in 1927,

2784-515: Is in the tropical savanna climate zone (Köppen classification: Aw ). Tokyo's Izu and Ogasawara islands are affected by an average of 5.4 typhoons a year, compared to 3.1 in mainland Kantō. Tokyo is near the boundary of three plates , making it an extremely active region for smaller quakes and slippage which frequently affect the urban area with swaying as if in a boat, although epicenters within mainland Tokyo (excluding Tokyo's 2,000 km (1,243 mi)–long island jurisdiction) are quite rare. It

2900-465: Is located on the Kantō Plain with five river systems and dozens of rivers that expand during each season. Important rivers are Edogawa , Nakagawa , Arakawa , Kandagawa , Megurogawa and Tamagawa . In 1947, Typhoon Kathleen struck Tokyo, destroying 31,000 homes and killing 1,100 people. In 1958, Typhoon Ida dropped 400 mm (16 in) of rain in a single week, causing streets to flood. In

3016-458: Is not uncommon in the metro area to have hundreds of these minor quakes (magnitudes 4–6) that can be felt in a single year, something local residents merely brush off but can be a source of anxiety not only for foreign visitors but for Japanese from elsewhere as well. They rarely cause much damage (sometimes a few injuries) as they are either too small or far away as quakes tend to dance around the region. Particularly active are offshore regions and to

3132-567: Is part of the Kantō region on the central coast of Honshu , Japan's largest island. Tokyo serves as Japan's economic center and the seat of both the Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan . The Tokyo Metropolitan Government administers Tokyo's central 23 special wards (which formerly made up Tokyo City ), various commuter towns and suburbs in its western area , and two outlying island chains known as

3248-654: Is the oldest underground metro line in Asia–Pacific . Tokyo's nominal gross domestic output was 113.7 trillion yen or US$ 1.04 trillion in FY2021 and accounted for 20.7% of the country's total economic output, which converts to 8.07 million yen or US$ 73,820 per capita. Including the Greater Tokyo Area, Tokyo is the second-largest metropolitan economy in the world after New York , with a 2022 gross metropolitan product estimated at US$ 2.08 trillion. Although Tokyo's status as

3364-527: Is the third-smallest, above only Osaka and Kagawa . Its administrative structure is similar to that of Japan's other prefectures . The 23 special wards ( 特別区 , tokubetsu-ku ) , which until 1943 constituted the city of Tokyo , are self-governing municipalities , each having a mayor, a council, and the status of a city. In addition to these 23 special wards, Tokyo also includes 26 more cities ( 市 -shi ), five towns ( 町 -chō or machi ), and eight villages ( 村 -son or -mura ), each of which has

3480-544: The Final Fantasy franchise. Talks were temporarily halted when Square suffered financially due to the failure of the 2001 feature film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within . Following the commercial success of Final Fantasy X (2001) and Kingdom Hearts (2002), talks went ahead on the merger with Enix as Square's finances stabilized; Square's then-CEO Yoichi Wada described it as a merger of two companies "at their height". Despite this, some shareholders had doubts about

3596-467: The 1973 oil crisis put an end to the rapid post-war recovery and development of Japan's economy, its position as the world's second-largest economy at the time had seemed secure by that point, remaining so until 2010 when it was surpassed by China . Tokyo's development was sustained by its status as the economic, political, and cultural hub of such a country. In 1978, after years of the intense Sanrizuka Struggle , Narita International Airport opened as

Mag Garden - Misplaced Pages Continue

3712-601: The 2020 Summer Olympics . Thus, Tokyo became the first Asian city to host the Olympic Games twice. However, the 2020 Olympic Games were postponed and held from July 23 to August 8, 2021, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic . Under Japanese law , the prefecture of Tokyo is designated as a to ( 都 ) , translated as metropolis . Tokyo Prefecture is the most populous prefecture and the densest, with 6,100 inhabitants per square kilometer (16,000/sq mi); by geographic area it

3828-567: The Arakawa River are most at risk of flooding. Tokyo's buildings are too diverse to be characterized by any specific archtectural style, but it can be generally said that a majority of extant structures were built in the past a hundred years; twice in recent history has the metropolis been left in ruins: first in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake and later after extensive firebombing in World War II . The oldest known extant building in Tokyo

3944-658: The Kasumigaseki district in Chiyoda, and the name Kasumigaseki is often used as a metonym for the Japanese national civil service . Tokyo has 25 constituencies for the House of Representatives , 18 of which were won by the ruling Liberal Democrats and 7 by the main opposition Constitutional Democrats in the 2021 general election . Apart from these seats, through the Tokyo proportional representation block , Tokyo sends 17 more politicians to

4060-473: The Meiji Period . Some gardens were immune from such fates and are today open to the public; Hamarikyu ( Kofu Tokugawa family ), Shibarikyu ( Kishu Tokugawa family ), Koishikawa Korakuen ( Mito Tokugawa family ), Rikugien ( Yanagisawa family ), and Higo Hosokawa Garden ( Hosokawa family ). The Akamon , which is now widely seen as a symbol of the University of Tokyo , was originally built to commemorate

4176-451: The Meiji Restoration . The high survival rate of concrete buildings promoted the transition from timber and brick architecture to modern, earthquake-proof construction. The Tokyo Metro Ginza Line portion between Ueno and Asakusa , the first underground railway line built outside Europe and the American continents, was completed on December 30, 1927. Although Tokyo recovered robustly from

4292-508: The Ministry of Finance were also relocated to Tokyo by 1871, and the first railway line in the country was opened on 14 October 1872, connecting Shimbashi ( Shiodome ) and Yokohama ( Sakuragicho ), which is now part of the Tokaido line . The 1870s saw the establishment of other institutions and facilities that now symbolize Tokyo, such as Ueno Park (1873), the University of Tokyo (1877) and

4408-498: The Ministry of Justice building (1895), the International Library of Children's Literature (1906) and Mistubishi building one (1894, rebuilt in 2010) are some of the few brick survivors from this period. It was regarded as fashionable by some members of the Japanese aristocracy to build their Tokyo residences in grand and modern styles, and some of these buildings still exist, although most are in private hands and open to

4524-552: The Ogasawara Islands , which had been under control of the US since the war ended, were returned in 1968. Ryokichi Minobe , a Marxian economist who served as the governor for 12 years starting in 1967, is remembered for his welfare state policy, including free healthcare for the elderly and financial support for households with children, and his ‘war against pollution’ policy, as well as the large government deficit they caused. Although

4640-705: The Shuto Expressway to meet the increased demand brought about by the 1964 Tokyo Olympics , the first Olympic Games held in Asia. Around this time, the 31-metre height restriction, imposed on all buildings since 1920, was relaxed due to the increased demand for office buildings and advancements in earthquake-proof construction. Starting with the Kasumigaseki Building (147 metres) in 1968, skyscrapers began to dominate Tokyo's skyline. During this period of rapid rebuilding, Tokyo celebrated its 500th anniversary in 1956 and

4756-598: The Tokyo Islands . Despite most of the world recognizing Tokyo as a city, since 1943 its governing structure has been more akin to a prefecture, with an accompanying Governor and Assembly taking precedence over the smaller municipal governments which make up the metropolis. Notable special wards in Tokyo include Chiyoda , the site of the National Diet Building and the Tokyo Imperial Palace ; Shinjuku ,

Mag Garden - Misplaced Pages Continue

4872-497: The Tokyo Metropolis (東京都, Tōkyō-to ). This reorganization aimed to create a more centralized and efficient administrative structure to better manage resources, urban planning, and civil defence during wartime. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government thus became responsible for both prefectural and city functions while administering cities, towns, and villages in the suburban and rural areas. Although Japan enjoyed significant success in

4988-423: The Tokyo Metropolis , is the capital city of Japan . With a population of over 14 million residents within the city proper as of 2023, it is one of the most populous cities in the world . The Greater Tokyo Area , which includes Tokyo and parts of six neighboring prefectures , is the most-populous metropolitan area in the world, with 41 million residents as of 2024 . Located at the head of Tokyo Bay , Tokyo

5104-792: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (1991). Kisho Kurokawa was also active in the city, and his works there include the National Art Center (2005) and the Nakagin Capsule Tower (1972). Other notable contemporary buildings in Tokyo include the Tokyo Dome , Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower , Roppongi Hills , Tokyo International Forum , and Asahi Beer Hall . As of October 2012, the official intercensal estimate showed 13.506 million people in Tokyo, with 9.214 million living within Tokyo's 23 wards. During

5220-424: The Tokyo Stock Exchange (1878). The rapid modernization of the country was driven from Tokyo, with its business districts such as Marunouchi filled with modern brick buildings and the railway network serving as a means to help the large influx of labour force needed to keep the development of the economy. The City of Tokyo was officially established on May 1, 1889. The Imperial Diet , the national legislature of

5336-572: The second-largest in the world at the time behind that of the United States . As of 2023 , the city is home to 29 of the world's 500 largest companies, as listed in the annual Fortune Global 500 ; the second-highest number of any city. In the 20th and 21st centuries, Tokyo became the first city in Asia to host the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 1964, and again in 2021, and it also hosted three G7 summits in 1979, 1986, and 1993. Tokyo

5452-551: The 1930s but canceled due to the war. However, due to the monetary contraction policy known as the Dodge Line , named after Joseph Dodge , the neoliberal economic advisor to MacArthur, the plan had to be reduced to a minimal one focusing on transport and other infrastructure. In 1947, the 35 pre-war special wards were reorganized into the current 23 wards . Tokyo did not experience fast economic growth until around 1950, when heavy industry output returned to pre-war levels. Since around

5568-527: The 1950s and 1960s, the government invested 6–7% of the national budget on disaster and risk reduction. A huge system of dams, levees and tunnels was constructed. The purpose is to manage heavy rain, typhonic rain, and river floods. Tokyo has currently the world's largest underground floodwater diversion facility called the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel (MAOUDC). It took 13 years to build and

5684-640: The 1986 role playing video game (RPG) Dragon Quest for the Family Computer ; one of the earliest successful RPGs for consoles, it spawned a franchise of the same name which remains Enix's best-known product. They would gain notoriety as a publisher for several studios and their properties including tri-Ace , Tose , Chunsoft and Quintet . It also founded the Gangan Comics imprint family, and created international subsidiaries or partnerships related to technology development, publishing and education. In

5800-519: The 2000s were PlayStation 2 titles in the Grandia series, the MMORPG Fantasy Earth: The Ring of Dominion from Puraguru , and the action role-playing game Drakengard from Cavia . In 2001, citing the rising cost of game development, Enix expressed interest in merging with either Square or Namco . They ultimately began talks with Square, a market rival and developer of

5916-654: The 26th Centenary of the Enthronement of Emperor Jimmu celebrations took place on a grand scale to boost morale and increase the sense of national identity in the same year. On 8 December 1941, Japan attacked the American bases at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii , entering the Second World War against the Allied Powers . The wartime regime greatly affected life in the city. In 1943, Tokyo City merged with Tokyo Prefecture to form

SECTION 50

#1732863292295

6032-498: The Famicom ( Nintendo Entertainment System ) Horii and Nakamura decided to develop a role-playing video game (RPG) for the platform. The RPG, titled Dragon Quest , began development in 1985. Horii and Nakamura acted as designers, composer Koichi Sugiyama created the score for the game, and Dragon Ball artist Akira Toriyama was brought on board for art design. While meeting with initially slow sales, Dragon Quest became

6148-448: The House of Representatives, 6 of whom were members of the ruling LDP in the 2021 election. The Tokyo at-large district , which covers the entire metropolis, sends 12 members to the House of Councillors . The mainland portion of Tokyo lies northwest of Tokyo Bay and measures about 90 km (56 mi) east to west and 25 km (16 mi) north to south. The average elevation in Tokyo

6264-492: The Japan Securities Dealers Association to offer shares for public purchase. Following Dragon Quest V (1992), Chunsoft left as main series developer, wanting to create their own titles. In the years following, Chunsoft continued collaborating with Enix on spin-off Dragon Quest titles including early entries in their Mystery Dungeon franchise. The next two entries were developed by Heartbeat ,

6380-531: The Meiji government, Edo was renamed Tokyo (Eastern Capital) on 3 September 1868. Emperor Meiji visited the city once at the end of that year and eventually moved there in 1869. Tokyo had already been the nation's political center for nearly three centuries, and the emperor's residence made it a de facto imperial capital as well, with the former Edo Castle becoming the Imperial Palace . Government ministries such as

6496-628: The Mitsui Headquarters (1929), Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi flagship store (1914, refurbished in 1925), Takashimaya Nihonbashi flagship store (1932), Wako in Ginza (1932) and Isetan Shinjuku flagship store (1933). This spread of earthquake and fire-resistant architecture reached council housing too, most notably the Dōjunkai apartments . The 1930s saw the rise of styles that combined characteristics of both traditional Japanese and modern designs. Chuta Ito

6612-501: The PC market and the fledgling Japanese console market. Using his royalties, Morita established the developer Random House and developed several PC and console titles including the Morita's Shogi series. In collaboration with Nakamura's new company Chunsoft , Horii notably created the adventure game The Portopia Serial Murder Case (1983), then during discussions around a port of the game to

6728-483: The Super Famicom. The game was developed by Quintet , a Japanese independent developer made up of former Nihon Falcom staff. Enix acted as publisher for all of Quintet's subsequent Super Famicom games in Japan. Enix had begun publishing guidebooks for the Dragon Quest series, between 1988 and 1991 the company decided to make print publication their second major business section alongside video game publishing. This

6844-426: The US dollar, had a devastating effect on Japan's manufacturing sector, particularly affecting small to mid-size companies based in Tokyo. This led the government to adopt a domestic-demand-focused economic policy, ultimately causing an asset price bubble . Land redevelopment projects were planned across the city, and real estate prices skyrocketed. By 1990, the estimated value of the Imperial Palace surpassed that of

6960-513: The US seized control of the Mariana Islands . From these islands, newly developed long-range B-29 bombers could conduct return journeys. The bombing of Tokyo in 1944 and 1945 is estimated to have killed between 75,000 and 200,000 civilians and left more than half of the city destroyed. The deadliest night of the war came on March 9–10, 1945, the night of the American " Operation Meetinghouse " raid. Nearly 700,000 incendiary bombs were dropped on

7076-564: The administrative boundaries of Tokyo Metropolis are two island chains in the Pacific Ocean directly south: the Izu Islands , and the Ogasawara Islands , which stretch more than 1,000 km (620 mi) away from the mainland. Because of these islands and the mountainous regions to the west, Tokyo's overall population density figures far under-represent the real figures for the urban and suburban regions of Tokyo. The former city of Tokyo and

SECTION 60

#1732863292295

7192-474: The area that had been Tokyo City until 1943, 30 other municipalities are located in the Tama area , and the remaining 9 are on Tokyo's outlying islands. Tokyo has enacted a measure to cut greenhouse gases. Governor Shintaro Ishihara created Japan's first emissions cap system , aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emission by a total of 25% by 2020 from the 2000 level. Tokyo is an example of an urban heat island , and

7308-470: The city's administrative center; and Shibuya , a commercial, cultural, and business hub in the city. Before the 17th century, Tokyo, then known as Edo , was mainly a fishing village. It gained political prominence in 1603 when it became the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate . By the mid-18th century, Edo was among the world's largest cities, with over a million residents. Following the Meiji Restoration in 1868,

7424-549: The city. The climate of Chichijima in Ogasawara village is on the boundary between the tropical savanna climate (Köppen classification: Aw ) and the tropical rainforest climate (Köppen classification: Af ). It is approximately 1,000 km (621 mi) south of the Greater Tokyo Area , resulting in much different climatic conditions. Tokyo's easternmost territory, the island of Minamitorishima in Ogasawara village ,

7540-616: The country, leading to Japan joining the Second World War as an Axis power . Due to the country's political isolation on the international stage caused by its military aggression in China and the increasingly unstable geopolitical situations in Europe, Тоkуо had to give up hosting the 1940 Summer Olympics in 1938. Rationing started in June 1940 as the nation braced itself for another world war, while

7656-514: The country, was established in Tokyo in 1889, and it has ever since been operating in the city. On 1 September 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake struck the city, and the earthquake and subsequent fire killed an estimated 105,000 citizens. The loss amounted to 37 percent of the country's economic output. On the other hand, the destruction provided an opportunity to reconsider the planning of the city, which had changed its shape hastily after

7772-442: The daytime, the population swells by over 2.5 million as workers and students commute from adjacent areas. This effect is even more pronounced in the three central wards of Chiyoda , Chūō , and Minato , whose collective population as of the 2005 National Census was 326,000 at night, but 2.4 million during the day. According to April 2024 official estimates, Setagaya (942,003), Nerima (752,608), and Ota (748,081) were

7888-411: The early Meiji period , the city was sometimes called "Tōkei", an alternative pronunciation for the same characters representing "Tokyo", making it a kanji homograph . Some surviving official English documents use the spelling "Tokei"; however, this pronunciation is now obsolete. Tokyo was originally a village called Edo , part of the old Musashi Province . Edo was first fortified by the Edo clan in

8004-469: The early 2000s, due to rising game development costs, Enix entered discussions about merging with Square , a rival company known for the Final Fantasy franchise. The merger eventually went ahead in 2003 forming Square Enix , with Enix as the surviving corporate entity. Enix was founded under the name Eidansha Boshu Service Center on September 22, 1975 by Yasuhiro Fukushima. An architect-turned-business entrepreneur, Fukushima initially founded Eidansha as

8120-412: The earthquake and new cultural and liberal political movements, such as Taishō Democracy , spread, the 1930s saw an economic downturn caused by the Great Depression and major political turmoil. Two attempted military coups d'état happened in Tokyo, the May 15 incident in 1932 and the February 26 incident in 1936. This turmoil eventually allowed the military wings of the government to take control of

8236-482: The east end of the city ( shitamachi , 下町), an area with a high concentration of factories and working-class houses. Two-fifths of the city were completely burned, more than 276,000 buildings were destroyed, 100,000 civilians were killed, and 110,000 more were injured. Numerous Edo and Meiji-era buildings of historical significance were destroyed, including the main building of the Imperial Palace , Sensō-ji , Zōjō-ji , Sengaku-ji and Kabuki-za . Between 1940 and 1945,

8352-403: The emerging video game market; during this period on August 30, Eidansya Fudousan was renamed Enix Corporation. The name Enix was a play on both the mythological Phoenix , and the early computer ENIAC . Seeking game proposals, Fukushima organized a competition dubbed the "Enix Game Hobby Program Contest" in both computer and manga magazines, offering a prize of ¥ 1 million (US$ 10,000) for

8468-514: The entire state of California . The Tokyo Stock Exchange became the largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, with the Tokyo-based NTT becoming the most highly valued company globally. After the bubble burst in the early 1990s, Japan experienced a prolonged economic downturn called the " Lost Decades ", which was charactized by extremely low or negative economic growth, deflation, stagnant asset prices. Tokyo's status as

8584-558: The five-storey pagoda and the Shimizudo. The Nezu Shrine and Gokokuji were built by the fifth shogun Tsunayoshi Tokugawa in the late 1600s. All feudal lords ( daimyo ) had large Edo houses where they stayed when in Edo; at one point, these houses amounted to half the total area of Edo. None of the grand Edo-era daimyo houses still exist in Tokyo, as their vast land footprint made them easy targets for redevelopment programs for modernization during

8700-657: The following year. In October 1983, Enix co-founded Konishiroku Enix with Konishiroku Photo Company , later purchasing all shares in January 1989. A second subsidiary, Enix Products, was established in March 1988 for the sale of publications and character merchandise. Both subsidiaries along with the original Enix were merged into their parent company Eidansha Boshu in April 1989, which renamed itself Enix Corporation. In 1990, Enix published their first third-party console title ActRaiser for

8816-410: The harsh treatment, they left Square Enix to help create Mag Garden, where they would also continue serializing their series. The establishment of Mag Garden and the former manga artists' departure from Square Enix prompted legal disputes over copyright issues between the two companies. The legal battle was concluded in March 2003 and Square Enix agreed to contribute 50% of Mag Garden's capital. Manga that

8932-573: The imperial capital in Kyoto was moved to Edo, and the city was renamed Tokyo ( lit.   ' Eastern Capital ' ). In 1923, Tokyo was damaged substantially by the Great Kantō earthquake , and the city was later badly damaged by allied bombing raids during World War II . Beginning in the late 1940s, Tokyo underwent rapid reconstruction and expansion that contributed to the era's so-called Japanese economic miracle in which Japan's economy propelled to

9048-534: The initial stages of the war and rapidly expanded its sphere of influence, the Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942, marked the first direct foreign attack on Tokyo. Although the physical damage was minimal, the raid demonstrated the vulnerability of the Japanese mainland to air attacks and boosted American morale. Large-scale Allied air bombing of cities in the Japanese home islands, including Tokyo, began in late 1944 when

9164-487: The last was Dragon Warrior Monsters , which was through a publishing deal with Eidos . The Dragon Quest series became one of the most popular video game series in Japan, spinning off into a multimedia franchise, and entering mainstream popular culture in the country. Several publications have cited the original game as a pioneer for the genre on home consoles, influencing the development of other popular series. Enix's Gangan Comics imprint, in addition to publishing

9280-446: The late twelfth century. In 1457, Ōta Dōkan built Edo Castle to defend the region from the Chiba clan . After Dōkan was assassinated in 1486, the castle and the area came to be possessed by several feudal lords. In 1590, Tokugawa Ieyasu was granted the Kantō region by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and moved there from his ancestral land of Mikawa Province . He greatly expanded the castle, which

9396-543: The latter is the tallest tower in both Japan and the world, and the second tallest structure in the world after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai . With a scheduled completion date in 2027, Torch Tower (385m) will overtake Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower (325.2m) as the tallest building in Tokyo. Kenzo Tange designed notable contemporary buildings in Tokyo, including Yoyogi National Gymnasium (1964), St. Mary's Cathedral (1967), and

9512-629: The main palace buildings and the tenshu tower have been lost. Numerous temple and shrine buildings in Tokyo date from this era: the Ueno Toshogu still maintains the original 1651 building built by the third shogun Iemitsu Tokugawa . Although partially destroyed during the Second World War, Zojo-ji , which houses the Tokugawa family mausoleum, still has grand Edo-era buildings such as the Sangedatsu gate. Kaneiji has grand 17th-century buildings such as

9628-437: The majority of Tokyo prefecture lie in the humid subtropical climate zone ( Köppen climate classification : Cfa ), with hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters with occasional cold spells. The region, like much of Japan, experiences a one-month seasonal lag . The warmest month is August, which averages 26.9 °C (80.4 °F). The coolest month is January, averaging 5.4 °C (41.7 °F). The record low temperature

9744-422: The majority of its resources to rebuilding in the wake of the consistent fires, earthquakes , and other devastating natural disasters that plagued the city. Edo grew into one of the largest cities in the world with a population reaching one million by the 18th century. This prolonged period of seclusion however came to an end with the arrival of American Commodore Matthew C. Perry in 1853. Commodore Perry forced

9860-455: The marriage of a shogun's daughter into the Maeda clan , one of the most affluent of the feudal lords, while the campus itself occupies their former edo estate. The Meiji era saw a rapid modernization in architectural styles as well; until the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 exposed their weakness to seimic shocks, grand brick buildings were constantly built across the city. Tokyo Station (1914),

9976-485: The merger between Square and Enix, but was dissolved in 2005 after the establishment of Square Enix China. Digital Entertainment Academy Co., Ltd. was established as a partially owned subsidiary in 1991. Originally called Toshima Ku Hokkaido University, the school was founded to teach game development . Enix America Corporation was the corporation's first American localization subsidiary based in Redmond, Washington . It

10092-466: The merger, notably Square's founder Masafumi Miyamoto , who would find himself holding significantly less shares and having a smaller controlling stake if the deal went ahead as initially planned. Miyamoto's issue was resolved by altering the exchange ratio to one Square share for 0.85 Enix shares, and the merger was greenlit. The merger resulted in Square Enix being formed on April 1, 2003, with Enix as

10208-413: The most populous wards and municipalities in Tokyo. The least inhabited of all Tokyo municipalities are remote island villages such as Aogashima (150), Mikurajima (289), and Toshima (306). In 2021, Tokyo's average and median ages were both 45.5 years old. This is below the national median age of 49.0, placing Tokyo among the youngest regions in Japan. 16.8% of the population was below 15, while 34.6%

10324-408: The new gateway to the city, while the relatively small Haneda Airport switched to primarily domestic flights. West Shinjuku , which had been occupied by the vast Yodobashi Water Purification Centre until 1965, became the site of an entirely new business district characterized by skyscrapers surpassing 200 metres during this period. The American-led Plaza Accord in 1985, which aimed to depreciate

10440-548: The opening of the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate , leading to an increase in the demand for new foreign goods and subsequently a severe rise in inflation. Social unrest mounted in the wake of these higher prices and culminated in widespread rebellions and demonstrations, especially in the form of the "smashing" of rice establishments. Meanwhile, supporters of the Emperor leveraged the disruption caused by widespread rebellious demonstrations to further consolidate power, which resulted in

10556-493: The overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate , for the first time in a few centuries, the Emperor ceased to be a mere figurehead and became both the de facto and de jure ruler of the country. Hisoka Maejima advocated for the relocation of the capital functions to Tokyo, recognizing the advantages of the existing infrastructure and the vastness of the Kanto Plain compared to the relatively small Kyoto basin . After being handed over to

10672-616: The overthrow of the last Tokugawa shōgun, Yoshinobu , in 1867. After 265 years, the Pax Tokugawa came to an end. In May 1868, Edo castle was handed to the Emperor-supporting forces after negotiation (the Fall of Edo ). Some forces loyal to the shogunate kept fighting, but with their loss in the Battle of Ueno on 4 July 1868, the entire city came under the control of the new government . After

10788-477: The phenomenon is especially serious in its special wards. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the annual mean temperature has increased by about 3 °C (5.4 °F) over the past 100 years. Tokyo has been cited as a "convincing example of the relationship between urban growth and climate". In 2006, Tokyo enacted the "10 Year Project for Green Tokyo" to be realized by 2016. It set

10904-556: The population of Tokyo dwindled from 6,700,000 to less than 2,800,000, as soldiers were sent to the front and children were evacuated. After the war, Tokyo became the base from which the Allied Occupation Forces , under Douglas MacArthur , an American general, administered Japan for six years. The original rebuilding plan of Tokyo was based on a plan modelled after the Metropolitan Green Belt of London , devised in

11020-818: The public on limited occasions. Aristocratic residences today open to the public include the Marquess Maeda residence in Komaba , the Baron Iwasaki residence in Ikenohata and the Baron Furukawa residence in Nishigahara. The Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 ushered in an era of concrete architecture. Surviving reinforced concrete buildings from this era include the Meiji Insurance Headquarters (completed in 1934),

11136-402: The relationship to that between an editor and an artist. Armor Project survived as an associate of Square Enix, growing into a larger entity over the years. Enix Webstar Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. was a company formed between Enix and Mauritius Webstar Inc. in 2001 to develop online and mobile phone games in China and, later, other parts of Asia. The subsidiary was carried over after

11252-538: The resignation of her predecessor, Yoichi Masuzoe . She was re-elected in 2020 and in 2024. The legislature of the Metropolis is called the Metropolitan Assembly , and it has one house with 127 seats. The assembly is responsible for enacting and amending prefectural ordinances, approving the budget (8.5 trillion yen in fiscal 2024), and voting on important administrative appointments made by the governor, including

11368-582: The surviving corporate entity and Square dissolving its departments and subsidiaries into the new company. Enix's last two published titles were Star Ocean: Till the End of Time and Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart , both in 2003. Fantasy Earth and Drakengard were published after the merger. During reports on the merger with Square, Takashi Oya of Deutsche Securities described Enix as "[outsourcing] game development and [having] few in-house creators" compared to Square's focus on internal development. At

11484-427: The time of the merger, Enix had two development divisions; one managing the Dragon Quest series led by Yuu Miyake, and a supervisory division made up of producers. Speaking in 1997, Quintet staff described their company as a "subcontractor" for Enix, being involved in its projects even when not acting as a publisher. Horii notably created Armor Project as a company to oversee Dragon Quest for Enix, with him comparing

11600-482: The time the Allied occupation of Japan ended in 1952, Tokyo's focus shifted from rebuilding to developing beyond its pre-war stature. From the 1950s onwards, Tokyo's Metro and railway network saw significant expansion, culminating in the launch of the world's first dedicated high-speed railway line, the Shinkansen , between Tokyo and Osaka in 1964. The same year saw the development of other transport infrastructure such as

11716-498: The time, which were leaving behind cartridge-based Nintendo 64 for the disc-based PlayStation , Enix announced in 1997 that they would publish titles for both platforms. They later stated their intention to develop for the GameCube . In August 1999, Enix was listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange 's first section, which includes the largest companies on the exchange. Beginning in the early 2000s, Enix's manga publishing division went through

11832-507: The total to 700,000. As of 2014 , roadside trees in Tokyo have increased to 950,000, and a further 300 ha (740 acres) of green space has been added. Tokyo is the seat of all three branches of government : the legislature ( National Diet ), the executive ( Cabinet led by the Prime Minister ), and the judiciary ( Supreme Court of Japan ), as well as the Emperor of Japan , the head of state. Most government ministries are concentrated in

11948-455: The vice governors. Its members are also elected on a four-year cycle. Since the completion of the Great Mergers of Heisei in 2001, Tokyo consists of 62 municipalities : 23 special wards , 26 cities , 5 towns and 8 villages . All municipalities in Japan have a directly elected mayor and a directly elected assembly, each elected on independent four-year cycles. The 23 Special Wards cover

12064-441: The wind blows north-east it could send volcanic ash to Tokyo metropolis. According to the government, less than a millimeter of the volcanic ash from a Mount Fuji eruption could cause power grid problems such as blackouts and stop trains in the Tokyo metropolitan area. A mixture of ash with rain could stick to cellphone antennas, power lines and cause temporary power outages. The affected areas would need to be evacuated. Tokyo

12180-502: Was a Japanese multimedia publisher who handled and oversaw video games , manga , guidebooks, and merchandise. It was founded in 1975 by Yasuhiro Fukushima as Eidansha Boshu Service Center, initially as a tabloid publisher and later attempting to branch into real estate management. Beginning in 1982, Enix began publishing video games. Three notable early collaborators were designers Yuji Horii and Koichi Nakamura , and composer Koichi Sugiyama . Horii, Nakamura and Sugiyama would all work on

12296-846: Was a leading figure in this movement, and his extant works in Tokyo include Tsukiji Hongan-ji (1934). The Imperial Crown Style , which often features Japanese-style roofs on top of elevated concrete structures, was adopted for the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno and the Kudan Hall in Kudanminami . Since the 30-metre height restriction was lifted in the 1960s, Tokyo's most dense areas have been dominated by skyscrapers. As of May 2024, there are at least 184 buildings exceeding 150 metres (492 feet) in Tokyo. Apart from these, Tokyo Tower (333m) and Tokyo Sky Tree (634m) feature high-elevation observation decks;

12412-604: Was above 65. In the same year, the youngest municipalities in Tokyo were Mikura-jima (average age 40.72), Chuo (41.92), and Chiyoda (42.07), while the oldest included Okutama (59.11) and Miyake (53.82). In 1889, the Home Ministry recorded 1,375,937 people in Tokyo City and a total of 1,694,292 people in Tokyo-fu . In the same year, a total of 779 foreign nationals were recorded as residing in Tokyo. The most common nationality

12528-460: Was based in Kyoto from 794 to 1868, so Edo was still not the capital of Japan. During the Edo period , the city enjoyed a prolonged period of peace known as the Pax Tokugawa , and in the presence of such peace, the shogunate adopted a stringent policy of seclusion, which helped to perpetuate the lack of any serious military threat to the city. The absence of war-inflicted devastation allowed Edo to devote

12644-530: Was completed in 2006. The MAOUDC is a 6.3 km (3.9 mi) long system of tunnels, 22 meters (72 ft) underground, with 70-meter (230 ft) tall cylindrical tanks, each tank being large enough to fit a space shuttle or the Statue of Liberty. During floods, excess water is collected from rivers and drained to the Edo River . Low-lying areas of Kōtō , Edogawa , Sumida , Katsushika , Taitō and Arakawa near

12760-478: Was once published under Enix from the former authors had to continue serialization under new titles. On September 22, 2003, Mag Garden became a separate, independent company and was admitted in the Tokyo Stock Exchange's "Mothers" market after Square Enix sold all of its remaining shares. On July 4, 2007, the company announced a merger with Production I.G to form a new company called IG Port. Mag Garden has

12876-616: Was organized after the release of Dragon Warrior by Nintendo of America in 1989. The subsidiary came into existence in 1990, but closed in November 1995 when the parent company decided to no longer release products in North America due to poor sales. One of the games they published, King Arthur & the Knights of Justice , was Enix's first and only North America exclusive game. Enix America, Inc., Enix's last American localization subsidiary,

12992-457: Was organized in 1999, and was based in Seattle , Washington . Paul Handelman, who was part of Enix America Corporation's staff, returned to lead Enix America, Inc. as president. The corporation was in existence until 2003, ceasing to exist after the merger with Square Co., Ltd. Several of Enix's localized games were published by other companies including Nintendo and Sony Computer Entertainment ;

13108-479: Was said to have been abandoned and in tatters when he moved there, and ruled the region from there. When he became shōgun , the de facto ruler of the country, in 1603, the whole country came to be ruled from Edo. While the Tokugawa shogunate ruled the country in practice, the Imperial House of Japan was still the de jure ruler, and the title of shōgun was granted by the Emperor as a formality. The Imperial House

13224-599: Was to ensure their income did not entirely depend on Dragon Quest . This eventually led to Enix launching the Gangan Comics imprint family, beginning with Monthly Shonen Gangan March 1991. Following its first publication with Monthly Shonen Gangan in March 1991, several other manga imprints with magazine and tankōbon editions were created for different genres including Monthly G-Fantasy and Monthly Shonen Gag-OU . The company also expanded their merchandise range to include other notable series including Mario and Pokémon . In February 1991, Enix registered with

13340-663: Was ultimately published by Namco in 1995. Enix later acted as publisher for Star Ocean (1996), developed by former Tales of Phantasia staff members who split from Wolf Team to form tri-Ace . In partnership with Enix, tri-Ace developed three further Star Ocean titles, and the Norse mythology -inspired RPG Valkyrie Profile (1999). Enix also notably helped publish two Western console titles; Riven (1998) and Tomb Raider III (1999). In August 1996, Enix moved from Shinjuku to offices in Shibuya . In contrast to other companies at

13456-407: Was −9.2 °C (15.4 °F) on January 13, 1876. The record high was 39.5 °C (103.1 °F) on July 20, 2004. The record highest low temperature is 30.3 °C (86.5 °F), on August 12, 2013, making Tokyo one of only seven observation sites in Japan that have recorded a low temperature over 30 °C (86.0 °F). Annual rainfall averages nearly 1,600 millimeters (63.0 in), with

#294705