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A is a class of Japanese city created by the first clause of Article 252, Section 22 of the Local Autonomy Law of Japan. Core cities are delegated many functions normally carried out by prefectural governments, but not as many as Designated Cities. To become a candidate for core city status, a city must satisfy the following conditions:
#A population between 300,000 and 500,000.
#A total area of at least 100 km².
Application for designation is made by a city with the approval of both the city and prefectural assemblies.

Contents

List of current core cities

Former core cities

Core city nominees

Awaiting designation

List of current core cities

As of 2006, 37 cities have been designated core cities:
April 1, 1996

★ Utsunomiya, Tochigi ★ Toyama, Toyama ★ Kanazawa, Ishikawa

★ Gifu, Gifu ★ Himeji, Hyōgo ★ Okayama, Okayama

★ Kumamoto, Kumamoto ★ Kagoshima, Kagoshima

April 1, 1997

★ Akita, Akita ★ Kōriyama, Fukushima

★ Wakayama, Wakayama ★ Nagasaki, Nagasaki

★ Ōita, Ōita

April 1, 1998

★ Toyota, Aichi ★ Fukuyama, Hiroshima

★ Kōchi, Kōchi

★ Miyazaki, Miyazaki

April 1, 1999

★ Iwaki, Fukushima ★ Nagano, Nagano

★ Toyohashi, Aichi

★ Takamatsu, Kagawa

April 1, 2000

★ Asahikawa, Hokkaidō

★ Matsuyama, Ehime

April 1, 2001

★ Yokosuka, Kanagawa
April 1, 2002

★ Nara, Nara

★ Kurashiki, Okayama

April 1, 2003

★ Kawagoe, Saitama ★ Funabashi, Chiba

★ Sagamihara, Kanagawa ★ Okazaki, Aichi

★ Takatsuki, Osaka

April 1, 2005

★ Toyama, Toyama (reclassified after merger with Ōsawano, Ōyama, Yatsuo, Fuchū, Yamada, and Hosoiri)

★ Higashiōsaka, Osaka
October 1, 2005

★ Hakodate, Hokkaidō

★ Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi

October 1, 2006

★ Aomori, Aomori

Former core cities

★ Shizuoka, Shizuoka

★ :Designated on April 1, 1996, redesignated as a core city after the former cities of Shimizu and Shizuoka merged to form the new city of Shizuoka on April 1, 2003, achieved the status of designated city in 2005.

★ Sakai, Osaka

★ :Designated on April 1, 1996, achieved the status of designated city in 2006.

★ Niigata, Niigata

★ Hamamatsu, Shizuoka

★ :Both designated on April 1, 1996, achieved the status of designated city in 2007.

Core city nominees

The following cities are scheduled to receive the core city classification.
April 1, 2008

★ Nishinomiya, Hyōgo

★ Morioka, Iwate

★ Kashiwa, Chiba

★ Kurume, Fukuoka
After April 2008

★ Yokkaichi, Mie
During April 2009

★ Maebashi, Gunma

★ Otsu, Shiga
Within 2009

★ Amagasaki, Hyōgo
During 2011

★ Takasaki, Gunma

Awaiting designation

The following cities have populations greater than 300,000 but have not yet been nominated. (Cities planning to apply for core city status are not shown. ※Special Cities)

★ Kawaguchi, Saitama※ ★ Koshigaya, Saitama※ ★ Tokorozawa, Saitama※ ★ Matsudo, Chiba ★ Ichikawa, Chiba

★ Hachiōji, Tokyo ★ Machida, Tokyo ★ Fujisawa, Kanagawa ★ Ichinomiya, Aichi※ ★ Hirakata, Osaka※

★ Suita, Osaka※ ★ Toyonaka, Osaka※ ★ Naha, Okinawa