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Introduction
To begin, we’ll look at the Urban Planning Act—the foundation that defines how urban planning works in Japan. Through this, you’ll gain a clear understanding of the systems that shape Japanese cities.
About City Planning Act
Article 1 of the Urban Planning Act outlines its purpose: to set the rules for how cities are planned, regulated, and developed, in order to ensure healthy growth, orderly development, and the overall well-being of society.
In the same way that safe buildings require compliance with building codes, urban development in Japan follows a structured set of rules.
1. Japan Is Divided into Urban Planning Areas and Non-Designated Areas
Under the Urban Planning Act, Japan’s land is primarily divided into Urban Planning Areas and Quasi-Urban Planning Areas.
An Urban Planning Area is a region where cities are systematically developed and managed.
About 95% of the population lives within Urban Planning Areas, which cover roughly one-quarter of the country’s land. The remaining three-quarters of the land lies outside these areas, where only about 5% of the population resides.
This clearly shows how Japan concentrates a large population into relatively limited space.
Quasi-Urban Planning Areas are much more limited in scope, designated in only 46 municipalities (about 65,657.5 hectares), mainly in Hokkaido and Fukuoka.
Next, let’s look at the differences between Urban Planning Areas and areas outside them, as well as the concept of zoning districts.
2. Urban Planning Areas Are Further Divided into Three Categories
To prevent uncontrolled development and ensure planned urban growth, Urban Planning Areas are divided into:
- Urbanization Promotion Areas
- Urbanization Control Areas
- Non-Divided Areas (areas not classified into the above two)
The ratio between “divided” and “non-divided” areas is roughly equal.
- Urbanization Promotion Areas are designated for prioritized and planned urban development.
- Urbanization Control Areas are intended to restrict development, and in principle, new development is prohibited.
In fact, about 70–80% of the population is concentrated in Urbanization Promotion Areas (or equivalent zones), while less than 10% lives outside Urban Planning Areas altogether.
3. Land-Use Zoning
In Urbanization Promotion Areas, land-use zoning is mandatory.
Land is broadly divided into three categories—residential, commercial, and industrial—and further classified into 13 specific zoning types.
Each zone regulates key aspects such as building use, floor-area ratio (FAR), building coverage ratio (BCR), and height limits.
Buildings that do not comply with these regulations cannot be constructed.
The next chapter explains the 13 land-use zones of zoing districts.
