The population of metropolitan Tokyo is estimated to have topped the 13 million mark in April for the first time in its history, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said Wednesday.
The population in the Japanese capital has increased by 1 million over the current decade since surpassing 12 million in 2000.
The population, calculated on the basis of the 2005 national census and monthly tallies of resident registry, was 13,010,279 as of April 1, about 25,000 more than the month before due to job-related and other relocations to the capital for the start of the new business and school year.
The tally broke past the 1 million line in 1876, the 10 million line in 1962 and the 11 million line in 1967. Before reaching 12 million, it had fallen for 10 years from 1987.
The latest increase is attributable to a boom in building of large- scale condominiums in areas like Koto Ward and people moving in to seek jobs in Tokyo, a metropolitan official said.
