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 condition:

1. A population greater than 300,000.

Application for designation is made by a city with the approval of both the city and prefectural assemblies.

List of current core cities

As of 2008, 39 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

April 1, 2008

Kashiwa, Chiba Nishinomiya, Hyōgo

Kurume, Fukuoka

Morioka, Iwate

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, 2009

Amagasaki, Hyōgo Ōtsu, Shiga

Hirakata, Osaka

Maebashi, Gunma

During 2010

• Ichinomiya, Aichi

April 1, 2011

• Takasaki, Gunma

Undetermined date

• Yokkaichi, Mie

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

Hachiōji, Tokyo Machida, Tokyo Fujisawa, Kanagawa Ichikawa, Chiba

Suita, Osaka※ Toyonaka, Osaka※ Naha, Okinawa