GLOBAL CITY

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo (previously the shogunal capital Edo), is Japan’s most

important city for more than 400 years, ascended to global city status
after WWII due to a remarkable recovery from near destruction by
Allied firebombing. This economic growth had a significant impact on
both culture and GDP. In the late nineteenth (19th) century, Tokyo’s
population surpassed one million (1,000,000), and in the twentieth
(20th) century, it became one of the world’s most populous cities. The
city is a major wholesale center, with items arriving from all around
the country and the world.

A. Tokyo’s high technology, R &D and manufacturing

specialisms- Tokyo has been named the most creative city in the
world. Tokyo is ranked 15th in the Innovation Cities Index. Because of
the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Energy and climate change
programs, Tokyo comes second to Singapore on the Siemens Asian
Green City ranking. Electronics, transportation equipment, autos,
cameras, and optical goods, furniture, textiles, and a wide range of
consumer goods, as well as publishing and printing, are among
Tokyo’s various sectors. Also, Tokyo boasts an excellent metro
system. Tokyo’s primary airport is Narita International. The
Shinkansen, a bullet train system that connects Tokyo with Osaka
and other cities, is also part of the transportation system. Tokyo’s rail
system is one of the world’s most efficient, with TripAdvisor calling it
the most pleasurable city to visit (2013).

B. Stock Exchange- The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) is Japan’s

largest stock exchange in Asia. It is the world’s third and fourth-
largest market capitalization and share turnover, respectively.
Tokyo’s economy is now heavily reliant on financial services and
banks. TSE is Japan’s principal stock exchange and one of the largest
stock exchanges. Japan’s economy is the world’s third-largest in
terms of nominal GDP, fourth largest in terms of purchasing power
parity, and the second-largest developed economy. It has the world’s
largest urban economy. In 2012, the Tokyo Metropolitan region had a
total GDP of US $1.9 trillion. Tokyo is home to fifty-one (51) of the
Fortune Global five hundred (500) firms.
C. Governance- the city-political region’s configuration in Tokyo
advances its “developmentalism” worldview from the past. After
decades of success, the closed partnership model of the Japanese
economy ran into problems in the 1990s. Economic policy is highly
concentrated and poorly addressed in the rest of the region. At the
city-region level, topics such as equity and immigration are not
addressed. Environmental policies are deeply ingrained in both
Japanese culture and economics.

Reference:

Mod Danish “Tokyo as a Global City Region” (2016).

Retrieved from:
https://www.slideshare.net/mohddanish18/tokyo-as-a-global-
city-region

Tokyo Stock Exchange (2019)

Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tokyo-
Stock-Exchange