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Marunouchi

Financial district of Tokyo, Japan

Marunouchi (丸の内) is a commercial district located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Situated between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace, the name, meaning "inside the circle", derives from its location within the palace's outer moat. It is also Tokyo's financial district and the country's three largest banks are headquartered there.

History[edit]

In 1590, before shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu entered Edo Castle, the area now known as Marunouchi was an inlet of Tokyo Bay and had the name Hibiya. With the expansion of the castle, this inlet was filled, beginning in 1592.

A new outer moat was constructed, and the earlier moat became the inner moat. The area took the name Okuruwauchi ("within the enclosure").

Daimyōs, particularly shinpan and fudai, constructed their mansions here, and with 24 such estates, the area also became known as daimyō kōji ("daimyō alley"). The offices of the North and South Magistrates, and that of the Finance Magistrate, were also here.

Following the Meiji Restoration, Marunouchi came under control of the national government, which erected barracks and parade grounds for the Imperial Japanese Army.

In 1890 Iwasaki Yanosuke, brother of the founder (and later the second leader) of Mitsubishi, purchased the land for 1.5 million yen. As the company developed the land, it came to be known as Mitsubishi-ga-hara (the "Mitsubishi Fields"). Much of the land remains under the control of Mitsubishi Estate Co., and the headquarters of many companies in the Mitsubishi Group are in Marunouchi.^{[citation needed]}

The Marunouchi district was redeveloped after 1890 with urban blocks and high rises that incorporated Machiya units.^[1]

The government of Tokyo constructed its headquarters on the site of the former Kōchi han in 1894. They moved it to the present Tokyo Metropolitan Government BuildinginShinjuku in 1991, and the Tokyo International Forum and Toyota Tsusho Corporation now stands on the site. Nearly a quarter of Japan's GDP is generated in this area.

Tokyo Station opened in 1914, and the Marunouchi Building in 1923. Tokyo Station reopened on 1 October 2012 after a 5 year refurbishment.^[2]

Much of the area was damaged in the deadly 1974 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries bombing.

Places in Marunouchi[edit]

• Marunouchi Oazo
• Marunouchi Building
• Shin-Marunouchi Building
• Tokyo Central Post Office (closed)
• Tokyo International Forum
• Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo
• Tokyo Station, the city's main intercity rail terminal
• Meiji Seimei Kan

Tallest Buildings 130m+[edit]

Address	Alternative name	Image	Height(m)	Number of floors	Built
5-1 Marunouchi 1	Shin Marunouchi Building		198	38	2007
4-1 Marunouchi 2	Marunouchi Building		179	37	2002
6-1 Marunouchi 2	Marunouchi Park Building		170	34	2009
7-3 Marunouchi 2	Tokyo Building		164	33	2006
4-5 Marunouchi 1	Mitsubishi Trust & Banking Head Office		148	30	2003
1-2 Marunouchi 2	Meiji Yasuda Life Building		146	30	2004

Companies based in Marunouchi[edit]

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Calbee has its headquarters in the Marunouchi Trust Tower Main.^[3] Konica Minolta has its headquarters in the Marunouchi Center Building in Marunouchi.^[4]

• Mitsubishi Group companies:
  • The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ^[5]
  • Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance
  • Mitsubishi Corporation^[6]
  • Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
  • Mitsubishi Electric
  • Nippon Yusen
  • Tokio Marine Nichido^[7]
  • Asahi Glass^[8]
• Hitachi
• Furukawa Electric^[9]
• Nikko Citigroup
• Ushio, Inc.^[10]
• Tanaka Kikinzoku Group^[11]

Japan Airlines used to have its headquarters in the Tokyo Building in Marunouchi.^[12]

International companies[edit]

Marunouchi also houses the Japan offices of Aeroméxico (Pacific Century Place Marunouchi),^[13] Bain & Company, Bayerische Landes Bank, Bloomberg, First National Bank of Boston, BT Group, Citigroup, Banca Commerciale Italiana, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Bank of India, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, Latham & Watkins, Mellon Bank, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, Morrison & Foerster, NatWest Group, Nikko Cordial, Nikko Citigroup, Rabobank, Bank Negara Indonesia, Overseas Union Bank, Philadelphia National Bank, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ropes & Gray, Royal Insurance, Standard Chartered Bank and Standard & Poor's.^[14]

Rail and subway stations[edit]

• Nijūbashimae Station (Chiyoda Line)
• Otemachi Station (Chiyoda Line, Hanzomon Line, Marunouchi Line, Toei Mita Line, Tozai Line)
• Tokyo Station (Chūō Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line, Keiyo Line, Marunouchi Line, Shinkansen, Sōbu Line, Yamanote Line, Yokosuka Line)

Education[edit]

Chiyoda Board of Education [ja] operates public elementary and junior high schools. Chiyoda Elementary School (千代田小学校) is the zoned elementary of Marunouchi 1-3 chōme.^[15] There is a freedom of choice system for junior high schools in Chiyoda Ward, and so there are no specific junior high school zones.^[16]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Media related to Marunouchi at Wikimedia Commons