Tokyo, the capital of Japan is located on the eastern side of the main island of Honshu and is one of Japan's 47 prefectures. The mainland portion of Tokyo lies northwest of Tokyo Bay and measures about 90 km east to west and 25 km north to south; and is bordered by the prefectures of Chiba, Yamanashi, Saitama and Kanagawa to the east, west, north and south.

The Izu Islands and the Ogasawara Islands lying 1,000 south of mainland Japan in the Pacific Ocean also fall within the administrative boundaries of Tokyo Metropolis.

Originally named Edo, the small fishing village grew into a city after Tokugawa Ieyasu made it the center of his nationwide military government in 1603. Edo subsequently became Tokyo in 1869 after Emperor Meiji moved to the city, from Kyoto, following the overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Designated by law as a metropolis, Tokyo is comprised of 23 wards, 26 cities, five towns and eight villages.

The 23 wards of Tokyo are unlike other city wards in Japan in that they are not part of a larger city, but a prefecture; with each ward effectively a city in its own right with an elected mayor and assembly. The wards only differ from other cities in possessing a unique administrative relationship with the prefectural government, which handles a variety of municipal functions and utilities.

The 23 wards of Tokyo; Adachi, Arakawa, Bunkyo, Chiyoda, Chuo, Edogawa, Itabashi, Katsushika, Kita, Koto, Meguro, Minato, Nakano, Nerima, Ota, Setagaya, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Suginami, Sumida, Taito and Toshima.

The population of the metropolitan area at present stands at in excess of 12 million people, with over eight million living within Tokyo's 23 wards, this number swelling by over 2.5 million people during the daytime as workers and students commute from adjacent areas.

Tokyo has the largest metropolitan economy in the world and is home to 50 of the worlds biggest companies. It is also a major international finance center, headquartering a number of the largest banking and insurance companies in the world, as well as serving as the administrative hub for much of Japanese industry.