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lead=yes is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With an estimated population of 2,816,247 as of October 1, 2025 and a population density of about 12,505 people per square kilometer, it is the largest component of the Keihanshin, which is the second-largest metropolitan area in Japan and the 10th-largest urban area in the world with more than 19 million inhabitants.
Ōsaka was traditionally considered Japan's economic hub. By the Kofun period (300–538) it had developed into an important regional port, and in the 7th and 8th centuries, it served briefly as the imperial capital. Osaka continued to flourish during the Edo period (1603–1867) and became known as a center of Japanese culture. Following the Meiji Restoration, Osaka greatly expanded in size and underwent rapid industrialization. The construction boom accelerated population growth throughout the following decades, and by the 1900s, Osaka was the industrial hub in the Meiji era and Taishō eras. Osaka made noted contributions to redevelopment, urban planning and zoning standards in the postwar period, and the city developed rapidly as one of the major financial centers in the Keihanshin Metropolitan Area.
Osaka is a major financial center of Japan, and it is recognized as one of the most multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism cities in Japan. The city is home to the Osaka Exchange as well as the headquarters of multinational electronics corporations such as Panasonic and Sharp. Osaka is an international center of research and development and is represented by several major universities, notably Osaka University, Osaka Metropolitan University, and Kansai University. Famous landmarks in the city include Osaka Castle, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Dōtonbori, Tsūtenkaku in Shinsekai, Tennōji Park, Abeno Harukas, Sumiyoshi Taisha, and Shitennō-ji, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan.
By the Edo period, ( Ōsaka) and ( Ōsaka) were mixed use, and the writer , in his book Setsuyo Ochiboshu published in 1808, states that the kanji was abhorred because it means "returns to the earth," and thus was used. The kanji (earth) is also similar to the word (knight), and means against, so can be understood as "samurai rebellion." became the official name in 1868 after the Meiji Restoration. The older kanji (坂) is still in very limited use, usually only in historical contexts. When used as an abbreviation, the modern kanji refers to Osaka City or Osaka Prefecture.
The earliest evidence of settlements in the Osaka area are the which is located in the central Chuo-ku district. Buried human skeletons and a kaizuka (a mound containing remains) were found, as well as shell mounds, oysters, and other interesting archeological discoveries from the Jomon period. In addition to the remains of consumed food, there were arrow heads, stone tools, fishing hooks and crockery with remains from rice processing. It is estimated that the ruins contain 2,000-year-old debris between the Jomon period and Yayoi period. The findings of the archeological sites are exhibited in an adjacent building.
In the years between the end of the Jōmon period and the beginning of the Yayoi period, the sediments that were deposited north of the Uemachi peninsula / plateau transformed Kawachi Bay into a lagoon. During the Yayoi period (300 BCE-250 CE), permanent habitation on the plains grew as rice farming became popular. Navigate to the equivalent Japanese page ( History)[1] for additional information.
At the beginning of the third century CE the grand shrine of Sumiyoshi-taisha was inaugurated near the harbor, commissioned by consort Empress Jingū. This Shinto shrine structure survived historical events, templi www.treccani.it which inaugurated a new style in the construction of Shinto shrines, called Sumiyoshi-zukuri. The maritime panorama enjoyed from the shrine gardens inspired several artists, and nowadays the representations of that type of landscape are called Sumiyoshi drawings.
Towards the end of the Yayoi period the Uemachi plateau-peninsula expanded further, transforming the Kawachi Lagoon into a lake (河内湖) connected to the mouth of the Yodo River, which had widened to the south.
Important works of the Kofun period is the excavation that diverted the course of the Yamato River, whose floods caused extensive damage, and the construction of important roads in the direction of Sakai and Nara Prefecture. Maritime traffic connected to the port of Naniwa-tsu increased in such a way that huge warehouses were built to stow material arriving and departing.
In 645, Emperor Kōtoku built his Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace in what is now Osaka, making it the capital of Japan. The city now known as Osaka was at this time referred to as Naniwa (written as or ) and this name and derivations of it are still in use for districts in central Osaka such as Naniwa () and Namba (). Although the capital was moved to Asuka (in Nara Prefecture today) in 655, Naniwa remained a vital connection, by land and sea, between Yamato Province (modern day Nara Prefecture), Korea, and China.Peter G. Stone and Philippe G. Planel (1999). 9780415117685, Routledge in association with English Heritage. . ISBN 9780415117685
Naniwa was declared the capital again in 744 by order of Emperor Shōmu, and remained so until 745, when the Imperial Court moved back to Heijō-kyō (now Nara). By the end of the Nara period, Naniwa's seaport roles had been gradually taken over by neighboring areas, but it remained a lively center of river, channel, and land transportation between Kyoto (Kyoto today) and other destinations. Sumiyoshi Taisha Grand Shrine was founded by Tamomi no Sukune in 211 CE. Shitennō-ji was first built in 593 CE and is the oldest Buddhist temple in Japan.
Osaka was long considered Japan's primary economic center, with a large percentage of the population belonging to the merchant class (see Four divisions of society). Over the course of the Edo period (1603–1867), Osaka grew into one of Japan's major cities and returned to its ancient role as a lively and important port. Daimyōs (feudal lords) received most of their income in the form of rice. chonin in Osaka thus began to organize Warehouse where they would store a daimyōs rice in exchange for a fee, trading it for either coin or a form of receipt; essentially a precursor to Banknote. Many if not all of these rice brokers also made loans, and would actually become quite wealthy and powerful. Osaka merchants coalesced their shops around Dōjima, where the Rice Exchange was established in 1697 and where the world's first Futures exchange market would come to exist to sell rice that was not yet harvested.
The popular culture of Osaka was closely related to ukiyo-e depictions of life in Edo. By 1780, Osaka had cultivated a vibrant arts culture, as typified by its famous Kabuki and Bunraku theaters.C. Andrew Gerstle, Kabuki Heroes on the Osaka Stage 1780–1830 (2005) In 1837, Ōshio Heihachirō, a low-ranking samurai, led a peasant insurrection in response to the city's unwillingness to support the many poor and suffering families in the area. Approximately one-quarter of the city was razed before shogunal officials put down the rebellion, after which Ōshio killed himself. Osaka was opened to foreign trade by the government of the Bakufu at the same time as Hyogo Town (modern Kobe) on January 1, 1868, just before the advent of the Boshin War and the Meiji Restoration. The Kawaguchi foreign settlement, now the Kawaguchi subdistrict, is a legacy of the foreign presence in Osaka.
Osaka residents were stereotyped in Edo literature from at least the 18th century. Jippensha Ikku in 1802 depicted Osakans as stingy almost beyond belief. In 1809, the derogatory term "Kamigata zeeroku" was used by Edo residents to characterize inhabitants of the Osaka region in terms of calculation, shrewdness, lack of civic spirit, and the vulgarity of Osaka dialect. Edo writers aspired to samurai culture, and saw themselves as poor but generous, chaste, and public spirited. Edo writers by contrast saw "zeeroku" as obsequious apprentices, stingy, greedy, gluttonous, and lewd. To some degree, Osaka residents are still stigmatized by Tokyo observers in the same way today, especially in terms of gluttony, evidenced in the phrase, .Richard Torrance, "Literacy and Literature in Osaka, 1890–1940", The Journal of Japanese Studies 31#1 (Winter 2005), pp. 27–60
The rapid industrialization attracted many Asian immigrants (Indians, Chinese, and Koreans), who set up a life apart for themselves.Chisato Hotta, "The Construction of the Korean Community in Osaka between 1920 and 1945: A Cross-Cultural Perspective." PhD dissertation U. of Chicago 2005. 498 pp. DAI 2005 65(12): 4680-A. DA3158708 Fulltext: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses The political system was pluralistic, with a strong emphasis on promoting industrialization and modernization.Blair A. Ruble, Second Metropolis: Pragmatic Pluralism in Gilded Age Chicago, Silver Age Moscow, and Meiji Osaka. (2001) Literacy was high and the educational system expanded rapidly, producing a middle class with a taste for literature and a willingness to support the arts.Richard Torrance, "Literacy and Literature in Osaka, 1890–1940," Journal of Japanese Studies 31#1 (Winter 2005), p.27-60 in Project MUSE In 1927, General Motors operated a factory called Osaka Assembly until 1941, manufacturing Chevrolet, Cadillac, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick vehicles, operated and staffed by Japanese workers and managers. In the nearby city of Ikeda in Osaka Prefecture is the headquarters of Daihatsu, one of Japan's oldest automobile manufacturers.
Like its European and American counterparts, Osaka displayed slums, unemployment, and poverty. In Japan it was here that municipal government first introduced a comprehensive system of poverty relief, copied in part from British models. Osaka policymakers stressed the importance of family formation and mutual assistance as the best way to combat poverty. This minimized the cost of welfare programs.Kingo Tamai, "Images of the Poor in an Official Survey of Osaka, 1923–1926." Continuity and Change 2000 15(1): 99–116. Fulltext: Cambridge UP
During World War II, Osaka came under air raids in 1945 by the United States Army Air Forces as part of the air raids on Japan. On March 13, 1945, a total of 329 Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers took part in the raid against Osaka. According to an American prisoner of war who was held in the city, the air raid took almost the entire night and destroyed of the city. The U.S. bombed the city again twice in June 1945 and again on August 14, a day before Japan's surrender.Andy Raskin, "The Ramen King and I: How the Inventor of Instant Noodles Fixed My Love Life".
In the decades following World War II, Osaka's reconstruction efforts and the industriousness of its residents brought the city even greater prosperity than before the war. Its population surpassed three million in the 1960s, initiating large-scale suburbanization within the prefecture, and eventually doubled to six million by the 1990s. With factories rebuilt and trade revived, Osaka rapidly developed into a major multicultural and financial center from the 1950s through the 1980s. Osaka Prefecture was chosen as the venue for the prestigious Expo '70, the first world's fair ever held in an Asian country. Since then, numerous international events have been held in Osaka, including the 1995 APEC Summit.
The modern municipality, which when it was established in 1889 occupied an area of just 15 km2 including the districts of Chūō and Nishi, following three successive expansions has reached an area of 222 km2. It was one of the first cities in Japan to obtain designated city status in 1956.
According to the Forbes list of The World's Most Expensive Places To Live 2009, Osaka was the second most expensive in the world after Tokyo. By 2020 it slipped to 5th rank of most expensive cities.
In March 2014, the 300-metre tall Abeno Harukas opened, which became the tallest building in Japan (surpassing the Yokohama Landmark Tower in Yokohama), until it was in turn surpassed by the 330-metre tall Azabudai Hills in Tokyo following its completion in 2022.
Expo 2025 is being held at Yumeshima Island, Konohana-ku. Osaka is the third city to host the World Expo twice, previously hosting Expo '70. It is also the fourth World’s Fair held in Japan following Expo '90 and Expo 2005 in Aichi Prefecture. The event will return to its traditional 5-year scheduling cycle after the Expo 2020 in Dubai was delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The projected visitor count is approximately 28 million.
MGM Resorts began construction on MGM Osaka in April 2025. MGM Osaka will be the first integrated resort in Japan. It will include 2,300 hotel rooms, a casino, shopping and dining options, convention space and a 3,500-seat theatre. MGM Osaka Breaks Ground on $8.9 Billion Resort, Japan’s First Casino
When Osaka was established in 1889, it occupied roughly the area known today as the Chuo and Nishi wards, that grew into today's via incremental expansions. The largest was a single expansion in 1925. Osaka's highest point, located in Tsurumi-ku, is above Tokyo Peil. The lowest point, in Nishiyodogawa-ku, is below Tokyo Peil. Osaka is situated at a latitude of 34.67°, near the 35th parallel north, a latitude farther south than Rome (41.90°), Madrid (40.41°), San Francisco (37.77°) and Seoul (37.53°).
Summers are very hot and humid. In August, the hottest month, the average daily high temperature reaches . Average nighttime low temperatures typically hover around . Fall in Osaka sees a cooling trend, with the early part of the season resembling summer, while the latter part of fall resembles winter.
Precipitation is abundant. Winter is the driest season. Monthly rainfall peaks in June with the "tsuyu" rainy season, which typically ends in mid to late July. From late July to the end of August, summer's heat and humidity peak, and rainfall decreases somewhat. Osaka has a second rainy period in September and early October, when tropical weather systems, including typhoons, coming from the south or southwest are possible.
Kita is home to the Umeda district and its immediate surrounding neighborhoods, a major business and retail hub that plays host to Osaka Station City and a large subterranean network of shopping arcades. Kita and nearby Nakanoshima contain a prominent portion of the city's skyscrapers and are often featured in photographs of Osaka's skyline.
Minami, though meaning "south", is essentially in and geographically central within the city. Well known districts here include Namba and Shinsaibashi shopping areas, the Dōtonbori canal entertainment area, Nipponbashi Den Den Town, as well as arts and fashion culture-oriented areas such as Amerikamura and Horie. The 300-meter tall Abeno Harukas was the tallest skyscraper in the country from 2014 until 2023.
The business districts between Kita and Minami such as and , called , house the regional headquarters of many large-scale banks and corporations. The Midōsuji boulevard runs through Semba and connects Kita and Minami.
Further south of Minami are neighborhoods such as Shinsekai (with its Tsutenkaku tower), Tennoji and Abeno (with Tennoji Zoo, Shitennō-ji and Abeno Harukas), and the Kamagasaki slums, the largest slum in Japan.
The city's west side is a prominent Osaka Bay which serves as its main port as well as a tourist destination with attractions such as Kyocera Dome, Universal Studios Japan and the Tempozan Harbor Village. Higashiosaka is zoned as a separate city, although the east side of Osaka city proper contains numerous residential neighborhoods including Tsuruhashi KoreaTown, as well as the Osaka Castle Park, Osaka Business Park and the hub Kyōbashi Station.
Osaka contains numerous urban canals and bridges, many of which serve as the namesake for their surrounding neighborhoods. The phrase "808 bridges of Naniwa" was an expression in old Japan used to indicate impressiveness and the "uncountable". Osaka numbered roughly 200 bridges by the Edo period and 1,629 bridges by 1925. As many of the city's canals were gradually filled in, the number dropped to 872, of which 760 are currently managed by Osaka City.
There were 144,123 registered foreigners, the two largest groups being Korean (60,110) and Chinese (39,551). Ikuno, with its Tsuruhashi district, is the home to one of the largest population of Korean residents in Japan, with 20,397 registered Zainichi Koreans.
The mayor of Osaka is directly elected by the citizens every four years, in accordance with the Local Autonomy Law. Tōru Hashimoto, former governor of Osaka Prefecture is the 19th mayor of Osaka since 2011. The mayor is supported by two vice mayors, currently Akira Morishita and Takashi Kashiwagi.
Osaka also houses several agencies of the Japanese government. Below is a list of governmental offices housed in Osaka.
In October 2018, the city of Osaka officially ended its sister city relationship with San Francisco in the United States after the latter permitted a monument memorializing "comfort women" to remain on a city-owned property, circulating in the process a 10-page, 3,800-word letter in English addressed to San Francisco mayor London Breed.
In November 2020, a second referendum to merge Osaka's 24 wards into 4 semi-autonomous wards was narrowly voted down. There were 692,996 (50.6%) votes against and 675,829 (49.4%) votes supported it. Osaka mayor and Osaka Ishin co-leader Ichiro Matsui said he would resign when his term ended in 2023.
In March 2012, the city of Osaka decided that as the largest shareholder of Kansai Electric Power Co, that at the next shareholders-meeting in June 2012 it would demand a series of changes:
In this action, Osaka secured the support of two other cities and shareholders: Kyoto and Kobe. With their combined voting-rights of 12.5 percent, they were not certain of the ultimate outcome. Two-thirds of the shareholders would be needed to agree to revise the corporate charter.
At a meeting held on April 10, 2012, by the "energy strategy council", formed by the city of Osaka and the governments of the prefectures, it became clear that at the end of the fiscal year 2011 some 69 employees of Kansai Electric Power Company were former public servants. "Amakudari" is the Japanese name for this practice of rewarding, by hiring officials that formerly controlled and supervised the firm. Such people included the following:
Besides this, it became known that Kansai Electric had made about 600 external financial donations, to a total sum of about 1.695 billion yen:
During this meeting ,some 8 conditions were compiled, that needed to be fulfilled before a restart of the No.3 and No.4 reactors Oi Nuclear Power Plant:
Historically, Osaka was the center of commerce in Japan, especially in the middle and pre-modern ages. Nomura Securities, the first brokerage firm in Japan, was founded in the city in 1925, and Osaka still houses a leading futures exchange. Many major companies have since moved their main offices to Tokyo. However, several major companies, such as Panasonic, Sharp, and Sanyo, are still headquartered in Osaka. In the 2017 Global Financial Centres Index, Osaka was ranked as having the 15th most competitive financial center in the world and fifth most competitive in Asia (after Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Shanghai).
The Osaka Securities Exchange, specializing in derivatives such as Nikkei 225 futures, is based in Osaka. The merger with JASDAQ will help the Osaka Securities Exchange become the largest exchange in Japan for start-up companies.
According to global consulting firm Mercer, Osaka was the second most expensive city for expatriate employees in the world in 2009. It jumped up nine places from 11th place in 2008 and was the eighth most expensive city in 2007. However, it was not ranked in the top ten places of the list in 2013. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranked Osaka as the second most expensive city in the world in its 2013 Cost of Living study.
Osaka connects to its surrounding cities and suburbs via the JR West Urban Network as well as numerous private lines such as Keihan Electric Railway, Hankyu Railway, Hanshin Electric Railway, Kintetsu Railway, and Nankai Electric Railway.
The Osaka Metro system alone ranks 8th in the world by annual passenger ridership, serving over 912 million people annually (a quarter of Greater Osaka Rail System's 4 billion annual riders), despite being only 8 of more than 70 lines in the metro area.
All Shinkansen trains including Nozomi stop at Shin-Osaka Station and provide access to other major cities in Japan, such as Kobe, Kyoto, Nagoya, Yokohama, and Tokyo.
Regular bus services are provided by Osaka City Bus, as well Hankyu, Hanshin and Kintetsu, providing a dense network covering most parts of the city.
Osaka is served by two airports situated just outside of the city, Kansai International Airport (IATA: KIX) which handles primarily international passenger flights and international cargo flights and the nearby Osaka International Airport (IATA: ITM) which handles mostly domestic services.
Due to its geographical position, Osaka's international ferry connections are far greater than that of Tokyo, with international service to Shanghai, Tianjin, and Busan along with domestic routes to Kitakyushu, Kagoshima, Miyazaki and Okinawa.
Other shopping areas include Nipponbashi, the electronic and manga/anime district, which is comparable to Akihabara in Tokyo, the Umeda district, which has the Hankyu Sanbangai shopping mall and Yodobashi Camera, a huge electrical appliance store that offers a vast range of fashion stores, restaurants, and a Shonen Jump store. Osaka is known for its food, in Japan and abroad. Author Michael Booth and food critic François Simon of Le Figaro have suggested that Osaka is the food capital of the world.
Osakans' love for the culinary is made apparent in the old saying "Kyotoites are financially ruined by overspending on clothing, Osakans are ruined by spending on food." Regional cuisine includes , , , as well as the traditional , particularly . Osaka is known for its fine sake, which is made with fresh water from the prefecture's mountains.
Osaka's culinary prevalence is the result of regional access to high-quality ingredients, a high population of merchants, and proximity to the ocean and waterway trade. In recent years, Osaka has started to garner more attention from foreigners with the increased popularity of cooking and dining in popular culture. Osaka Food Guide , The City Lane
Other shopping districts include:
There are two J.League clubs, Gamba Osaka, plays its home games at Suita City Football Stadium. Another club Cerezo Osaka, plays its home games at Yanmar Stadium Nagai. The city is home to Osaka Evessa, a basketball team that plays in the B.League. Evessa has won the first three championships of the league since its establishment. Kintetsu Liners, a rugby union team, play in the Top League. After winning promotion in 2008–09, they will again remain in the competition for the 2009–10 season. Their base is the Hanazono Rugby Stadium.
The , one of the six regular tournaments of professional sumo, is held annually in Osaka at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium.
Another major annual sporting event that takes place in Osaka is Osaka International Ladies Marathon. Held usually at the end of January every year, the race starts from Nagai Stadium, runs through Nakanoshima, Midōsuji and Osaka Castle park, and returns to the stadium. Another yearly event held at Nagai Stadium is the Osaka Gran Prix Athletics games operated by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in May. The Osaka GP is the only IAAF games annually held in Japan.
Osaka made the bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Paralympics but was eliminated in the first round of the vote on July 13, 2001, which awarded the game to Beijing.
Osaka was one of the host cities of the official Women's Volleyball World Championship for its 1998, 2006 and 2010 editions.
Osaka is the home of the 2011 created Japan Bandy Federation and the introduction of bandy, in the form of rink bandy, was made in the city. In July 2012 the first Japan Bandy Festival was organized.
Osaka once had a large number of universities and high schools, but because of growing campuses and the need for larger area, many chose to move to the suburbs, including Osaka University.
Historically foreign expatriates in the Kansai region preferred to live in Kobe rather than Osaka. As a result, until 1991 the Osaka area had no schools catering to expatriate children.Stewart, Alex. " educating kansai" ( Archive). The Journal of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan ( Jānaru), Volume 40, Issues 7–12. The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ), 2003. p. 43. Osaka International School of Kwansei Gakuin, founded in 1991, is located in nearby Minoh," School Profile 2014–2015" (). Osaka International School of Kwansei Gakuin. Retrieved on November 1, 2015. and it was the first international school in the Osaka area. The Great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake of 1995 caused a decline in demand for international schools, as there were about 2,500 U.S. nationals resident in Osaka after the earthquake while the pre-earthquake number was about 5,000. American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) Kansai chapter president Norman Solberg stated that since 2002 the numbers of expatriates in Kansai were recovering "but the fact is there is still a persistent exodus to Tokyo."Stewart, Alex. " education kansai" ( Archive). The Journal of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan ( Jānaru), Volume 40, Issues 7–12. The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ), 2003. p. 41. In 2001 the city of Osaka and YMCA established the Osaka YMCA International School.
Colleges and universities include:
Libraries
Learned society
Facilities
"Important cultural property" (重要文化財) after the name of a facility indicates an important cultural property designated by the country.
Leisure facilities and high-rise buildings
Historical site
Parks and gardens
Ancient architecture
Modern architecture
Theaters and halls
Sport venues
Religious facilities
International relations
Sister cities
Osaka is Sister city with:
Friendship cooperation cities
Osaka also cooperates with:
Business partner cities
Osaka's business partner cities, mostly in the Asia-Pacific region, are:
Sister ports
Osaka's sister ports are:
See also
Further reading
External links
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