Minato, Tokyo

Minato is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is also called Minato City in English.
Minato was formed in 1947 as a merger of Akasaka, Azabu and Shiba wards following Tokyo City's transformation into Tokyo Metropolis. The modern Minato ward exhibits the contrasting Shitamachi and Yamanote geographical and cultural division. The Shinbashi neighborhood in the ward's northeastern corner is attached to the core of Shitamachi, the original commercial center of Edo-Tokyo. On the other hand, the Azabu and Akasaka areas are typically representative Yamanote districts.
, Minato had an official population of 269,708, and a population density of 13,235 persons per km². The total area is 20.37 km².
Known as one of Tokyo's largest business areas, Minato is home to the headquarters of many large domestic companies, including Honda, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, NEC, Nikon, SoftBank Group, Sony and Fujitsu. Minato is also known for being one of the wealthiest residential areas in Japan, and for its relatively high concentration of foreign expats due to the number of embassies and multinational corporations located in and around the area. Notable neighborhoods and districts of Minato include Akasaka, Aoyama, Azabu, Roppongi and Toranomon.

Geography

Minato is located southwest of the Imperial Palace and has boundaries with the special wards of Chiyoda, Chūō, Kōtō, Shinagawa, Shibuya, and Shinjuku.

History

The ward was founded on 15 March 1947, with the merger of Akasaka, Azabu, and Shiba Wards. Various names were considered for the new ward, such as Atago, Aoyama, Aoba, Iikura, Mita, and Higashiminato. Higashiminato was chosen, meaning "East Harbor", but then Higashi was cut leading to the name Minato, simply meaning "harbor".

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population has recently begun rising after decades of rapid decline.

Politics and government

In June 2024, Ai Seike beat in mayoral elections. Takei, mayor since 2004, was seeking his sixth term and received support from the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito. Seike, previously a member of the ward assembly, is the first female mayor of Minato.
The ward assembly has 34 members.

Elections

2008 Minato mayoral election
Districts and neighborhoods

;Akasaka Area

;Azabu Area

;Shiba Area

;Shibaura-Kōnan Area

Daiba^*
Kaigan^{c, *}
Kōnan^*
Shibaura^*

;Takanawa Area

Mita^{d, *}
Shirokane^*
Shirokanedai^*
Takanawa^*

Notes:
^* - formerly part of Shiba Area

^a - 1-chōme

^b - 1, 2, 3-chōme

^c - 2, 3-chōme

^d - 4, 5-chōme

Education

Colleges and universities

Jikei University School of Medicine Nishi Shinbashi campus
Kanazawa Institute of Technology Graduate school; Toranomon campus
Keio University
Kitasato University Shirokane campus
Meiji Gakuin University Shirokane campus
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
Shibaura Institute of Technology
Temple University Japan Campus
Tokyo Institute of Technology Tamachi Campus
Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology Shinagawa campus
University of Tokyo Institute of Medical Science
Primary and secondary schools

The local public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.

Roppongi High School

The city's public elementary and junior high schools are operated by the Minato City Board of Education.
Combined elementary and junior high schools:

Odaiba Gakuen
Shirokane-no-oka Gakuen

Junior high schools:

Akasaka Junior High School
Aoyama Junior High School
Konan Junior High School
Koryo Junior High School
Mita Junior High School opened in 2001 after the merger of Minato Junior High School and Shibahama Junior High School.
Onarimon Junior High School
Roppongi Junior High School
Takamatsu Junior High School

Elementary schools:

Akabane Elementary School
Akasaka Elementary School
Aoyama Elementary School
Azabu Elementary School
Higashimachi Elementary School
Hommura Elementary School
Kogai Elementary School
Konan Elementary School
Mita Elementary School
Nanzan Elementary School
Onarimon Elementary School
Seinan Elementary School
Shiba Elementary School
Shibaura Elementary School
Shibahama Elementary School
Shirokane Elementary School
Takanawadai Elementary School occupies a historic building that had been renovated.

Former schools:

Asahi Junior High School
Iikura Elementary School
Koyo Elementary School
Sanko Elementary School
Shinno Elementary School

There are also a variety of private schools, including:

Keio Girls Senior High School
Keiō Chutobu Junior High School
Azabu Junior and Senior High School
The British School of Tokyo Azabudai Hills Campus
Friends School, a Quaker school established in 1887.
Meiji Gakuin Senior High School in Shirokane
Russian Embassy School in Tokyo in Azabudai
Public libraries

The city operates the Minato Library, the Mita Library, the Azabu Library, the Akasaka Library, the Takanawa Library, and the Konan Library.
The metropolis operates the Tokyo Metropolitan Library Central Library in Minato. The library opened in 1973.

Economy

Companies with headquarters in Minato include Air Nippon, All Nippon Airways, ANA & JP Express, All Nippon Airways Trading, Animax, Asmik Ace Entertainment, Bandai Namco Holdings, Brainlab, Cosmo Oil Company, COVER Corporation, Daicel,
Dentsu, Euglena, Fujifilm, Fuji Xerox, Fujitsu, Haseko, Hazama Ando, Honda, Japan Tobacco, Kajima, Kaneka Corporation, Konami, KYB Corporation, Kyodo News, Mitsubishi Motors, Mitsui Chemicals, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Mitsui Oil Exploration Company, NEC, Nippon Sheet Glass, NYK Line, Obayashi Corporation, Oki Electric Industry, Pizza-La, The Pokémon Company, THK, Toagosei, Toraya Confectionery, Sato Pharmaceutical, Sega Sammy Holdings, Sigma Seven, Sony, SUMCO, Toraya Confectionery, Toyo Suisan, TV Tokyo, WOWOW, and Yazaki. In addition ANA subsidiary Air Japan has some offices in Minato.

Foreign companies

The Japanese division of CB&I, the Japanese division of Aramark and Aim Services, Google Japan, Yahoo! Japan, and the main Japanese offices of Hanjin and Korean Air are located there. Air France operates an office and ticketing counter in the New Aoyama Building in Minato. The Japanese division of Deutsche Post, DHL. Air France's Minato office handles Aircalin-related inquiries. Air China has operations in the Air China Building in Minato. Asiana Airlines operates a sales office on the sixth floor of the ATT New Tower Building. Hawaiian Airlines has its Japan offices in the Eagle Hamamatsuchō Building in Minato. Iran Air has its Tokyo office in Akasaka.

Former economic operations

Japanese companies that formerly had headquarters in Minato include Air Next, Airtransse, Asatsu, Jaleco Holding, Ricoh, Toa Domestic Airlines,
On 22 December 2008 operations of Seiko Epson's Tokyo sales office began at Seiko Epson's Hino Office in Hino, Tokyo. Previously operations were at the World Trade Centre in Minato.

Diplomatic missions

Several countries operate their embassies in Minato.

Places
Akasaka is a large residential and commercial area in northern Minato which includes the Akasaka Palace and surrounding gardens, TBS radio and television studios, Ark Hills complex, Tokyo Midtown, and the embassy of the United States.
Aoyama is home to Aoyama Cemetery, one of Tokyo's largest graveyards, and the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.
Atago Shrine is the highest point in all 23 wards of Tokyo.
Azabu is one of Tokyo's more upscale residential areas, home to many embassies.
Fushimi Sanpō Inari Jinja is a Shinto shrine in Shiba 3-chōme.
Hamamatsuchō is the location of Hamamatsucho Station is the terminal for the Tokyo Monorail to Haneda Airport.
Mita is home to Keio University and several small Buddhist temples.
The National Art Center, Tokyo is a museum that opened in 2007.
Odaiba is one of Tokyo's most popular entertainment areas, featuring the Fuji TV studios, Palette Town shopping complex, Dream Bridge, Tokyo Big Sight, and more. Located on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, it is connected to central Tokyo by the Yurikamome transit line over the Rainbow Bridge.
Roppongi is Tokyo's best-known nightlife district, especially popular among foreigners; home to National Art Center, also home to the Roppongi Hills complex, which houses the studios of TV Asahi, the J-Wave radio station, the Tokyo Grand Hyatt Hotel, and a shopping complex.
Shiba Park houses the Zojoji temple. Tokyo Tower is located one block away.
Shinbashi Station, in Shinbashi, is the northern terminal of Japan's first railway line. Also home to the Shiosite office and entertainment complex, which houses Nippon Television studios.
Shirokanedai is home to Meiji Gakuin University.
Takanawa is home to the Sōtō Temple of Sengaku-ji. Shinagawa Station, one of Tokyo's largest train stations, is located in Takanawa, although it is associated with Shinagawa to the south. It is an area of many 1980s hotels including the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa, Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa, and Pacific Meridien Hotel, Shinagawa Prince Hotel.
There is an urban aquarium called Aqua Park Shinagawa on the premises of the Shinagawa Prince Hotel, and the number of visitors exceeds 1.5 million annually.
Toranomon houses the National Printing Bureau, TV Tokyo studios and the Toranomon Station underground complex.