Shinagawa (品川区, Shinagawa-ku) is a
special ward in
Tokyo,
Japan. The Ward refers to itself as Shinagawa City in
English. The Ward is home to ten embassies.
As of 1 April 2016[update], the Ward had an estimated population of 380,293 and a population density of 16,510 persons per km2. The total area is 22.84 km2.[2]
Shinagawa is also commonly used to refer to the business district around
Shinagawa Station, which is not in Shinagawa Ward. This Shinagawa is in the Takanawa and Konan neighborhoods of
Minato Ward, directly north of Kita-Shinagawa.
Geography
Shinagawa Ward includes natural uplands and lowlands, as well as reclaimed land. The uplands are the eastern end of the
Musashino Terrace. They include
Shiba-Shirokanedai north of the
Meguro River, Megurodai between the Meguro and Tachiai Rivers, and Ebaradai south of the Tachiai River.
The Ward lies on
Tokyo Bay. Its neighbors on land are all special wards of Tokyo:
Kōtō to the east,
Minato to the north,
Meguro to the west, and
Ōta to the south.
Districts and neighborhoods
Shinagawa Ward consists of five areas, each consisting of multiple districts and neighborhoods:
Following the Meiji Restoration and the
abolition of the han system, Shinagawa Prefecture was instituted in 1869. The prefectural administration was to be set up in the Ebara District, but in 1871 Shinagawa Prefecture was integrated into
Tokyo Prefecture. In 1932, during the reorganisation of the municipal boundaries of
Tokyo City following the
1923 Great Kantō earthquake, a smaller version of Shinagawa Ward was created. On March 15, 1947, this was merged with the neighboring Ebara Ward to create the present Shinagawa Ward.
The Ward's historic post-town function is retained today with several large hotels near the train station offering 6,000 rooms, the largest concentration in Tokyo.
Japan Airlines (JAL), the head office of its subsidiary
JAL Hotels, and registered offices of
JAL Express and
JALways are located in the
Tennōzu Isle area.[34][35][36][37][38] In addition, Jalux, a subsidiary, has its head office in the I·S Building.[39] One group of employees moved into the building on July 26, 2010, and one on August 2, 2010.[40]
On 8 July 2022, Nikon announced they have begun construction on a new headquarters adjacent to their Oi Plan. [41] The Nikon HQ is supposed to be completed in 2024 and its address is: 5480-1, Nishioi 1-chome, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
Other companies maintain branch offices or research facilities in Shinagawa Ward.
Sony operates the Gotenyama Technology Center and the Osaki East Technology Center in Shinagawa.[42] Sony used to have its headquarters in Shinagawa.[43] Sony moved to
Minato, Tokyo around the end of 2006 and closed the Osaki West Technology Center in Shinagawa around 2007.[44][45]Adobe Systems maintains its Japan headquarters on the 19th Floor of Gate City Ohsaki near
Ōsaki Station,[46] while
Siemens AG has its Japan offices in Takanawa Park Tower.[47]Phoenix Technologies operates its Japan office on the 8th floor of the Gotanda NN Building in
Gotanda.[48]Siemens Japan and
Philips also have offices in Shinagawa.[citation needed]Microsoft and
ExxonMobil have their Japanese headquarters in Konan,
Minato, near Shinagawa.[49]Kojima Productions offices are also located in Shinagawa. [50][51]
Former economic operations
A JAL subsidiary,
Japan Asia Airways, was also headquartered in the JAL Building until JAL dissolved it.[52]GEOS, an English language school company, once had its headquarters in Shinagawa.[53] At one time
Air Nippon had its headquarters in Shinagawa.[54]
Shinagawa is also home to the main motor vehicle registration facility for central Tokyo (located east of Samezu Station). As a result, many
license plates in Tokyo are labeled with the name "Shinagawa."
Major incidents / accidents
1863 – British Liberines burning case
1964 – Shinagawa Katsushima warehouse explosion fire
1987 – Explosion accident at the Oi thermal power plant
1995 – Death case of arrest and detention of public affairs notary public office
Sister cities
Shinagawa has sister-city relationships with
Auckland in New Zealand,
Geneva in Switzerland, and
Portland, Maine, in the United States.[77]
^"
Company OverviewArchived July 10, 2012, at
archive.today."
Rakuten. Retrieved on February 3, 2011. ""Rakuten Tower" (Headquarters) Shinagawa Seaside Rakuten Tower, 4-12-3 Higashishinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 140-0002 (MAP)."
^"
Corporate ProfileArchived March 21, 2006, at the
Wayback Machine." Jalux. Retrieved on December 6, 2011. "Head Office I·S Building, 3-32-42 Higashi Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo"
^国際交流事業の紹介 | 品川区 [Introduction to International Relations | Shinagawa]. Archived from
the original on May 11, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
^"Sister Cities". Consulate-General of Japan in Auckland. Embassy of Japan. Archived from
the original on February 16, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
^姉妹都市・友好都市の概要. Shinagawa ward. March 31, 2015. Archived from
the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
^市町村交流. Shinagawa ward. Retrieved October 13, 2015.