Kota utama

nyaéta kelas kota Jepang dijieun ku klausul kahiji Artikel 252, Bagian 22 di antara Undang-undang Otonomi Lokal Jepang. Kota utama dibéré fungsi tugas ku pamaréntah préféktur, tapi teu saloba Designated Cities. Keur jadi kota utama, hiji kota ku mibanda kaayaan saperti di handap:
Populasi antara 300,000 nepi ka 500,000.
Legana wewengkon 100 km².
Usulan sangkan jadi kota ieu perlu disatujuan ku dewan perwakila kota jeung préféktur.

Runtuyan kota utama 
Dina taun 2006, 37 kota geus dipilih salaku kota utama:

1 April, 1996

1 April, 1997

1 April, 1998

1 April, 1999

1 April, 2000

1 April, 2001
Yokosuka, Kanagawa

1 April, 2002

1 April, 2003

1 April, 2005
Toyama, Toyama (reclassified after merger with Ōsawano, Ōyama, Yatsuo, Fuchū, Yamada, jeung Hosoiri)
Higashiōsaka, Osaka

1 Oktober, 2005

1 Oktober, 2006
Aomori, Aomori

Kota utama samemehna 
Shizuoka, Shizuoka
Designated on 1 April 1996, redesignated as a core city after the former cities of Shimizu and Shizuoka merged to form the new city of Shizuoka on 1 April 2003, achieved the status of designated city in 2005.
Sakai, Osaka
Designated on 1 April 1996, achieved the status of designated city in 2006.
Niigata, Niigata
Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
Both designated on 1 April 1996, achieved the status of designated city in 2007.

Calon kota utama 
Di handap ieu, kota-kota nu bakal jadi kota utama.

1 April 2008
Nishinomiya, Hyōgo
Morioka, Iwate
Kashiwa, Chiba
Kurume, Fukuoka

After April 2008
Yokkaichi, Mie

During April 2009
Maebashi, Gunma
Otsu, Shiga

Within 2009
Amagasaki, Hyōgo

During 2011
Takasaki, Gunma

Awaiting designation 
The following cities have populations gréater than 300,000 but have not yet been nominated. (Cities planning to apply for core city status are not shown. ※Special Cities)