Tokyo (Japan)

Tōkyō, 東京都

Last modified: 2015-03-28 by zoltán horváth
Keywords: tokyo | tōkyōjapan | sun: 6-rays (white) | tokyo metropolitan government | iwo-jima |
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image by Kazutaka Nishiura, 23 March 2015

• Description of the flag
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government
• Tokyo ku
• Links to Tokyo ku

See also:

• Tokyo Fire Department Flags
• Tokyo Fire Department Rank Flags
• Tokyo Fire Department Specialized Flags
• Tokyo Prefectural National Sports Festival (Kokutai) Flag
• Japanese Subdivisions
• Clickable map of Tokyo-to (Japan)
• Japan

White sun with 6 rays on dark purple colour field. The sun is stylized Kanji character of Tokyo-Nihon which represents developing capital city Tokyo. Dark purple has been popular colour in Tokyo from old days. Adopted 1 October 1964.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 6 May 1998

The emblem is 4/6 of the height of the flag, ratio is 2:3.
Zachary Harden, 10 September 2009

The emblem was adopted on Nov 2nd 1943 by Notice No 464. The flag was adopted on Oct 1st 1964 by Notice No 1042 celebrating Tokyo Olympic Games. The flag proportion is 2: 3. The height of the emblem is 4/6 height of the flag.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 23 March 2015

image by Eugene Ipavec, 8 December 2005

image by Eugene Ipavec, 8 December 2005

See also:

• Construction sheet at www.reiki.metro.tokyo.jp

Tokyo is a special capital district called Tokyo Metropolitan which contains 23 ku and lots of cities, town and villages.

The image of green emblem on white was adopted as Tokyo symbol flag on June 1, 1990 .The stylized "T" of Tokyo in green is in the center of white background which symbolizes the development, prosperity and peacefulness of Tokyo. The flag is used for casual event like sports assembly. Meanwhile, the purple flag remains unchanged and is still used as Tokyo prefecture flag for more formal events. The two flags are hoisting in front of Tokyo metropolitan government building.
Nozomi Kariyasu19 November 2005

The prefecture symbol of the sun radiating in the 6 directions symbolises the metropolitan area becoming magnificent as it shines out into the universe.
Jonathan Dixon, 11 September 2009

Japanese 46 prefectures are composed of cities, towns and villages while only Metropolitan Tōkyō are composed of 23 ku (special districts) in addition to 27 cities, 5 towns and 8 villages including Ogasawara Islands because Metropolitan Tōkyō has big population (14 million).

The ku (special district) concept is more important and larger than ordinary Japanese city and some of them have their own flags which I have been investigating and collecting official government document on their coat-or-arms and flags with specifications.

I think these flags have never been published in a book.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 22 December 1998

Tōkyō main prefecture flag was adopted October 1, 1964 and no ku flag was adopted prior to that date. About half of all follow main prefecture's field colour but the rest use their own preference in colours which seem to be either popular or traditional colour in the ku. There is no such law in Tokyo main prefecture as ku must use same field colour.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 26 March 1999

The T-symbol flag is called the Tokyo-to symbol flag (the symbol is called the "symbol mark", in words borrowed from English). I would say it is a bit like a council in other parts of the world with an older flag and a logo-flag, not that the logo-flag is a government flag as could be inferred above.
Jonathan Dixon, 11 September 2009

Links to Tōkyō subdivisions