Quick answerNagoya is a city in Japan, with 2,337,864 people inside the city limits in 2025. The wider metropolitan area had about 9.4 million people in 2025. It is best known for the Nagoya Castle, the Automobile industry and the Port of Nagoya. Its official language is Japanese, and its currency is the Japanese yen.
Nagoya is the fourth-most populous city in Japan, with 2,337,864 residents in 2025, and the capital of Aichi Prefecture. It is the largest city in the Chūbu region and the centre of Japan's car-making country, with the largest seaport in Japan.
Key facts
| Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 2,337,864 (2025) |
| Population (metro) | 9,363,221 (2025) · Statistics Bureau of Japan, Chūkyō Major Metropolitan Area (MMA), 2015 Population Census |
| Time zone | Asia/Tokyo |
| Language | Japanese |
| Currency | Japanese yen (JPY, ¥) |
| Coordinates | 35.1833° N, 136.9° E |
Overview
Nagoya is the capital and most populous city of Aichi Prefecture, and the largest city in Japan's Chūbu region. It had 2,337,864 residents on 1 September 2025, making it the fourth-most populous city in Japan. It stands on the Pacific coast of central Honshu, at the head of Ise Bay, and is the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which had 9,363,221 people in the 2015 census.
In 1610 the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu moved the capital of Owari Province here from Kiyosu and rebuilt Nagoya Castle, whose golden roof ornaments became the city's symbol. The city grew into an industrial hub in the 1900s, and the region around it is the heart of Japan's car-making industry. Its seaport is the largest in Japan by cargo.
Nagoya is known for its castle and for Atsuta Shrine, one of the most important Shinto shrines in Japan, and for its food: miso katsu, hitsumabushi eel and the morning-service breakfast of toast and egg that the city's coffee shops made famous.
What Nagoya is known for
- Nagoya Castle
- Automobile industry
- Port of Nagoya
- Miso-based cuisine
Landmarks
- Nagoya Castle
- Atsuta Shrine
- Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium
- SCMaglev and Railway Park
- Mirai Tower (Nagoya TV Tower)
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Nagoya?
Nagoya had 2,337,864 residents on 1 September 2025, making it the fourth-most populous city in Japan. It is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and the largest city in the Chūbu region. Its metropolitan area, Chūkyō, had 9,363,221 people in the 2015 census, the third-largest in Japan.
Where is Nagoya and what is it known for?
Nagoya is on the Pacific coast of central Honshu, at the head of Ise Bay, in Aichi Prefecture. It is the principal city of the Chūbu region and is known for Nagoya Castle, Atsuta Shrine, its car-making industry and its seaport, the largest in Japan. Its coordinates are 35.18° N, 136.90° E.
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Keep exploring
- Japan — the country Nagoya is in
- Tokyo — another city in Japan
- Yokohama — another city in Japan
- Osaka — another city in Japan
- All cities in Japan
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.