is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It is known as Kōtō City in English. As of May 1, 2025, the ward has an estimated population of 543,730, and a population density of . The total area is .
Kōtō is east of the Tokyo metropolitan center, bounded by the Sumida River to the west and the Arakawa River to the east. Its major districts include Kameido, Kiba, Kiyosumi, Monzen-nakachō, Shirakawa, and Toyosu. The waterfront area of Ariake is in Kōtō, as is part of Odaiba, Ojima.
Etymology means "East [of the] River" in Japanese. The in means "east" and is the same character as the in .
Geography Kōtō is on the waterfront of Tokyo Bay, sandwiched between the wards of Chūō and Edogawa. To the north, its inland boundary is with the Sumida special ward. Much of the land in northern Kōtō is old reclaimed land, and the elevation is very low (below sea level). The southern part is relatively new, but there are a few old temples or shrines.
Noteworthy places in Kōtō include: In the former ward of Fukagawa: Kiba, Fukagawa, Edagawa; In the former ward of Jōtō: Kameido, Ōjima, Sunamachi; On recently reclaimed land: Ariake, Yumenoshima, Tokyo Rinkai Fukutoshin.
History The western part of the ward was formerly part of Fukagawa Ward of Tokyo City. It suffered severe damage in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake and was heavily bombed during World War II. Kōtō Ward was formed in 1947 by the merger of Fukagawa and Jōtō wards. The area has a history of canal-based commerce during the Edo period and was once a center for lumber storage and distribution.
Districts
There are 46 districts in Kōtō:
Fukagawa Area Botan Eitai Etchūjima Fukagawa Fukuzumi Furuishiba Fuyuki Hirano Ishijima Kiba
Kiyosumi Miyoshi Mōri Morishita Monzen-nakachō Ōgibashi Saga Sarue Sengoku Shirakawa
Shin-Ōhashi Sumiyoshi Senda Takabashi Tōyō Tokiwa Tomioka Umibe
Jōtō Area Higashisuna Kameido Kitasuna Minamisuna Ōjima
Waterfront Area Aomi Ariake Edagawa Shin-Kiba Shinonome Shinsuna Shiohama Shiomi Tatsumi
Toyosu Uminomori Wakasu Yumenoshima
Transportation
Rail JR East Chūō-Sōbu Line: Kameido Station Keiyō Line: Etchūjima Station, Shiomi Station, Shin-Kiba Station JR Freight Etchūjima Branch Line: Etchūjima Freight Terminal Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line: Monzen-nakacho Station, Kiba Station, Tōyōchō Station, Minami-Sunamachi Station Yūrakuchō Line: Toyosu Station, Tatsumi Station, Shin-kiba Station Hanzōmon Line: Sumiyoshi Station, Kiyosumi-shirakawa Station Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation Toei Shinjuku Line: Morishita Station, Sumiyoshi Station, Nishi-Ōjima Station, Ōjima Station, Higashi-Ōjima Station Toei Ōedo Line: Morishita Station, Kiyosumi-shirakawa Station, Monzen-nakachō Station Tobu Railway Kameido Line: Kameido Station, Kameido-suijin Station Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit Rinkai Line: Shin-kiba Station, Shinonome Station, Kokusai-tenjijō Station, Tokyo Teleport Station Yurikamome Yurikamome: Tokyo International Cruise Terminal Station, Telecom Center Station, Aomi Station, Tokyo Big Sight Station, Ariake Station, Ariake-Tennis-no-mori Station, Shijō-mae Station, Shin-toyosu Station, Toyosu Station
Highway Shuto Expressway C2 Central Loop (Itabashi JCT – Kasai JCT) No.7 Komatsugawa Route (Ryogoku JCT – Yagochi) No.9 Fukagawa Route (Hakozaki JCT – Tatsumi JCT) B Bayshore Route (Kawasaki-ukishima JCT – Koya)
Air Tokyo Heliport, in Shin-Kiba
Economy Companies with headquarters in Kōtō include Daimaru, Ibex Airlines, Fujikura, and Maruha Nichiro.
The broadcasting center of Wowow is in Kōtō.
Seta Corporation was headquartered in Kōtō.
Government
Kōtō City's main office is in Tōyō. There are branch offices in Shirakawa, Tomioka, Toyosu, Komatsubashi, Kameido, Ojima, Sunamachi, and Minamisuna.
Notable places Toyosu Market, the world's largest wholesale fish market teamLab Planets Kameido Tenjin Shrine Tomioka Hachiman Shrine Fukagawa Edo Museum Fukagawa Fudo-son Kiyosumi Garden Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in Kiba Park Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center) Ariake Coliseum, site of Japan Open Tennis Championships, All Japan Tennis Championships Ariake Tennis Forest Park, which has Ariake Coliseum and 48 tennis courts Suzaki Baseball Field, site of Japanese Baseball League games in 1930s Kiba Metropolitan Park Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse Dome Shin-Kiba 1st Ring Tokyo Gate Bridge Dream Bridge
Kiba Park Kiba Park is a spacious urban park in Kōtō, covering approximately . The park features jogging paths, tennis courts, a barbecue area, playgrounds, and open lawns. It is divided into northern and southern sections connected by the Kiba Park Bridge, a prominent pedestrian overpass. The park also includes the Kiba Park Urban Greening Botanical Garden and hosts seasonal events such as the "Flower and Light Movement" illumination.
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT), within Kiba Park, opened in 1995. It focuses on contemporary art from the postwar period to the present, with works by both Japanese and international artists, and houses about 5,400 artworks and 280,000 related materials. It underwent a major renovation and reopened in 2019.
Education
Colleges and universities Ariake Junior College of Education and the Arts (Ariake Kyōiku Geijutsu Tanki Daigaku) Musashino University (Musashino Daigaku, a private university) Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (Tokyo Kaiyo Daigaku, part of the national university system) Shibaura Institute of Technology (Shibaura Kougyō Daigaku) Shurin College of Foreign Language (Shurin Gaigo Senmon Gakkou, a private 2 year college for language)
Primary and secondary schools Public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.
Public elementary and middle schools are operated by the Koto City Board of Education.
Combined junior and senior high schools:
Junior high schools:
Elementary schools:
Private schools:
International schools International schools are independently owned and operated. K. International School Tokyo India International School in Japan Tokyo Bay International School – North Korean school
International relations On April 20, 1989, Kōtō became a sister city of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
Notable people from Kōtō Yuto Horigome, Japanese skateboarder, 2020 Olympic gold medalist Shōta Sometani, Japanese actor Takaaki Yamazaki, Japanese politician and the former mayor of Kōtō Kazuto Sakata, Japanese former professional motorcycle racer and two-time F.I.M. 125cc world champion Anne Nakamura, Japanese model, and actress Daisuke Matsuzaka, Japanese professional baseball pitcher, 2007 World Series champion Daisuke Gōri, Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator Genki Sudo, Japanese politician, former entertainer and kickboxer Ben Kimura, Japanese politician Hana Kimura, Japanese professional wrestler, died in Kōtō Hiroshi Yamamoto, Japanese professional shogi player ranked 4-dan Tomomi Kahara, Japanese pop singer Akihito Hirose, Japanese professional shogi player ranked 8-dan Hiromu Watanabe, Japanese professional shogi player ranked 5-dan Yasuko Kobayashi, Japanese anime and drama screenwriter Yōhei Kajiyama, Japanese former football player Tetsuo Kurata, Japanese television, stage, film actor and restauranteur (Kamen Rider Black and Kamen Rider Black RX) Tomokazu Seki, Japanese actor, voice actor and singer featured in Fushigi Yūgi, Weiss Kruez, You're Under Arrest, Initial D, Mobile Suite Gundam Seed, Mobile Suite Gundam Seed DESTINY Ruki Shiroiwa, member of Japanese boy band JO1
References
External links
Kōtō City Official Website