Shinagawa (品川区, Shinagawa-ku) is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself as Shinagawa City in English. It is home to eleven embassies.

Shinagawa
品川区
Shinagawa City
Meguro River at Ōsaki, Shinagawa
Meguro River at Ōsaki, Shinagawa
Flag of Shinagawa
Official seal of Shinagawa
Location of Shinagawa in Tokyo Metropolis
Location of Shinagawa in Tokyo Metropolis
Shinagawa is located in Japan
Shinagawa
Shinagawa
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 35°36′N 139°44′E / 35.600°N 139.733°E / 35.600; 139.733
CountryJapan
RegionKantō
PrefectureTokyo Metropolis
Area
  Total
22.84 km2 (8.82 sq mi)
Population
 (October 1, 2020[1])
  Total
422,488
  Density18,497/km2 (47,910/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address2-1-36 Hiromachi,
Shinagawa-ku, Tōkyō-to
140-8715
Websitewww.city.shinagawa.tokyo.jp
Symbols
BirdChroicocephalus ridibundus
FlowerRhododendron indicum
TreeCastanopsis
Acer

As of 1 April 2016, Shinagawa 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

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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

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Shinagawa Ward consists of five areas, each consisting of multiple districts and neighborhoods:

  • Shinagawa District, including the former Shinagawa-juku on the Tōkaidō.
  • Ōsaki (大崎) District, formerly a town of that name, stretching from Ōsaki Station to Gotanda and Meguro Stations.
  • Ebara (荏原) District, formerly a town of that name.
  • Ōi (大井) District, formerly a town of that name.
  • Yashio (八潮) District, consisting of reclaimed land, including Higashiyashio on Odaiba.

History

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Shinagawa-juku in the 1830s, as depicted by Hiroshige

Most of Tokyo east of the Imperial Palace is on reclaimed land. A large proportion of the reclamation took place during the Edo period, when Shinagawa-juku was the first shukuba (post town) in the "53 Stations of the Tōkaidō" that a traveler would reach after setting out from Nihonbashi to Kyoto on the Tōkaidō. The Tokugawa shogunate maintained the Suzugamori execution grounds in Shinagawa.

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.

The Tōkaidō Shinkansen high-speed rail line began serving Shinagawa Station in 2003.

Economy

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Corporate headquarters

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Former economic operations

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Sony had its headquarters and related facilities in Kitashinagawa from 1947, the next year of its founding, until 2007.[3] They were relocated to Minato, Tokyo, and the site was redeveloped into an upscale residential area and office buildings.[4]

Nikon developed and manufactured products at factories in Nishiōi, Shinagawa from 1918 to 2016.[5][6] In 2024, the company built its headquarters building on the site of those former factories.[5]

Politics and government

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The mayor of Shinagawa Ward is Kyoko Morisawa [ja], elected on December 4, 2022. She is an independent politician born in 1978.

The Shinagawa Ward Assembly [ja], consisting of 40 seats, held its last election on April 23, 2023.

Places

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Former Shinagawa-juku Station
Site of Hamakawa Gun Battery

Education

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Higher education

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Primary and secondary education

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Shinagawa Shouei Junior High School & Senior High School

Public elementary and junior high schools are operated by the Shinagawa Ward Board of Education. Public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.

Municipal combined elementary and junior high schools:[30]

Municipal junior high schools:[30]

  • Ebara No. 1 Junior High School (荏原第一中学校)
  • Ebara No. 5 Junior High School (荏原第五中学校)
  • Ebara No. 6 Junior High School (荏原第六中学校)
  • Fujimidai Junior High School (冨士見台中学校)
  • Hamakawa Junior High School (浜川中学校)
  • Osaki Junior High School (大崎中学校)
  • Suzugamori Junior High School (鈴ヶ森中学校)
  • Togoshidai Junior High School (戸越台中学校)
  • Tokai Junior High School (東海中学校)

Municipal elementary schools:[30]

Transport

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Important railway stations

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Exterior of Shinagawa Station in Minato
Ōimachi Station at Ōi, Shinagawa

Shinagawa Station is in fact located in neighboring Minato but also serves the northern part of Shinagawa, and is a stop on the high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen line.

Rail

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Road

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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

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International relations

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Sister city and friendship cities

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Geneva-heiwa Street in Minamishinagawa, Shinagawa
Sister city
Friendship cities

Diplomatic missons in Shinagawa

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Notable people from Shinagawa

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References

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  1. "Population by District". Tokyo Statistical Yearbook. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  2. "Statistics of Shinagawa City". Shinagawa City Government. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  3. "タイムカプセル Vol.8: さらば! 御殿山本社". Sony (in Japanese). Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  4. "【プロジェクト】ソニーのビル跡地2万5100m2に事務所や住宅を建設、積水ハウス". 日経不動産マーケット情報 (in Japanese). January 9, 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  5. 1 2 "History". Nikon. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  6. 鈴木誠 (March 18, 2016). "ニコン大井製作所「101号館」の見納めに行ってきた". Impress Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  7. "ARCHI-DEPOT". ARCHI-DEPOT Museum. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  8. "Exhibit Informatio". The Museum of Package Culture. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  9. "Shinagawa Historical Museum". Shinagawa Historical Museum. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  10. "There's plenty to see and do in the waters of Shinagawa!". SHINAGAWA AQUARIUM. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  11. "Togoshi Ginza Shopping District". Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  12. "PALM GUIDE". Musashikoyama Shotengai Promotion Association. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  13. "Shell-mound of Ohmori". Shinagawa Historical Museum. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  14. Greg Lane. "The Bridge of Tears". Tokyo Cheapo. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  15. Sleiman Azizi (April 4, 2021). "Shinagawa City Ward - Landmarks & History". Japan Travel. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  16. "RINSHI-NO-MORI PARK". Shinagawa Tourism Association. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  17. "Shinagawa Kumin Park". Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  18. "IKEDAYAMA PARK". Shinagawa Tourism Association. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  19. "TOGOSHI PARK". Shinagawa Tourism Association. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  20. "ご案内." カトリック目黒教会. February 8, 2016. Retrieved on April 8, 2016.
  21. "三光教会 St.Stephen's Church". Nippon Sei Ko Kai. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  22. "東京聖マリア教会". Nippon Sei Ko Kai. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  23. "品川教会の信仰." キリスト品川教会. 2014. Retrieved on April 8, 2016.
  24. "教会の案内." 品川バプテスト教会. Retrieved on April 8, 2016.
  25. "TOP." 大井バプテスト教会. 2016. Retrieved on April 8, 2016.
  26. "Information in English". Kreuzkirche Tokyo. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  27. "Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology". Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  28. "Access." Canadian International School in Tokyo. Retrieved on October 29, 2014. "〒141–0001 5-8-20, Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo"
  29. 東京都立品川特別支援学校. Tokyo Metropolitan Shinagawa Special Needs Education School. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  30. 1 2 3 "小学校・中学校・義務教育学校ホームページ". Shinagawa. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  31. 1 2 3 "姉妹都市・友好都市". Shinagawa City Government (in Japanese). March 28, 2025. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  32. 1 2 3 "駐日外国公館リスト ヨーロッパ". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (in Japanese). February 6, 2026. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  33. 1 2 3 4 "駐日外国公館リスト アジア". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (in Japanese). February 13, 2026. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  34. 1 2 3 4 "駐日外国公館リスト ラテンアメリカ". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (in Japanese). January 9, 2026. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  35. 1 2 3 "駐日外国公館リスト アフリカ". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (in Japanese). January 21, 2026. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
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