CIRJE-J-55. Kanemoto, Yoshitsugu and Kazuyuki Tokuoka, "Metropolitan Area Definitions in Japan", May 2001.

In the U.S. a variety of statistical data are provided for metropolitan areas defined by the government. There is no counterpart in Japan and the only metropolitan area definitions that are available are those proposed by a few researchers. This article proposes a new metropolitan area definition that can be used widely by researchers and policy makers. We welcome any comments and criticisms on our proposal.