Kōtō (江東区, Kōtō-ku) is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It is known as Kōtō City in English. As of May 1, 2025, the ward has an estimated population of 543,730, and a population density of 12,648/km2 (32,760/sq mi). The total area is 42.99 km2 (16.60 sq mi).
Kōtō is east of the Tokyo metropolitan center, bounded by the Sumida River to the west and the Arakawa River to the east. Its major districts include Kameido, Kiba, Kiyosumi, Monzen-nakachō, Shirakawa, and Toyosu. The waterfront area of Ariake is in Kōtō, as is part of Odaiba, Ojima.
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Etymology
Kōtō (江東) means "East [of the] River" in Japanese. The tō (東) in Kōtō means "east" and is the same character as the Tō in Tōkyō (東京).
Geography
Kōtō is on the waterfront of Tokyo Bay, sandwiched between the wards of Chūō and Edogawa. To the north, its inland boundary is with the Sumida special ward. Much of the land in northern Kōtō is old reclaimed land, and the elevation is very low (below sea level). The southern part is relatively new, but there are a few old temples or shrines.
Noteworthy places in Kōtō include:
In the former ward of Fukagawa: Kiba, Fukagawa, Edagawa;
In the former ward of Jōtō: Kameido, Ōjima, Sunamachi;
On recently reclaimed land: Ariake, Yumenoshima, Tokyo Rinkai Fukutoshin.
History
The western part of the ward was formerly part of Fukagawa Ward of Tokyo City. It suffered severe damage in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake and was heavily bombed during World War II. Kōtō Ward was formed in 1947 by the merger of Fukagawa and Jōtō wards. The area has a history of canal-based commerce during the Edo period and was once a center for lumber storage and distribution.
Districts
There are 46 districts in Kōtō:
Transportation
Rail
JR East
Chūō-Sōbu Line: Kameido Station
Keiyō Line: Etchūjima Station, Shiomi Station, Shin-Kiba Station
JR Freight
Etchūjima Branch Line: Etchūjima Freight Terminal
Tokyo Metro
Tōzai Line: Monzen-nakacho Station, Kiba Station, Tōyōchō Station, Minami-Sunamachi Station
Yūrakuchō Line: Toyosu Station, Tatsumi Station, Shin-kiba Station
Hanzōmon Line: Sumiyoshi Station, Kiyosumi-shirakawa Station
Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation
Toei Shinjuku Line: Morishita Station, Sumiyoshi Station, Nishi-Ōjima Station, Ōjima Station, Higashi-Ōjima Station
Toei Ōedo Line: Morishita Station, Kiyosumi-shirakawa Station, Monzen-nakachō Station
Tobu Railway
Kameido Line: Kameido Station, Kameido-suijin Station
Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit
Rinkai Line: Shin-kiba Station, Shinonome Station, Kokusai-tenjijō Station, Tokyo Teleport Station
Yurikamome
Yurikamome: Tokyo International Cruise Terminal Station, Telecom Center Station, Aomi Station, Tokyo Big Sight Station, Ariake Station, Ariake-Tennis-no-mori Station, Shijō-mae Station, Shin-toyosu Station, Toyosu Station
Highway
Shuto Expressway
C2 Central Loop (Itabashi JCT – Kasai JCT)
No.7 Komatsugawa Route (Ryogoku JCT – Yagochi)
No.9 Fukagawa Route (Hakozaki JCT – Tatsumi JCT)
B Bayshore Route (Kawasaki-ukishima JCT – Koya)
Air
Tokyo Heliport, in Shin-Kiba
Economy
Companies with headquarters in Kōtō include Daimaru, Ibex Airlines, Fujikura, and Maruha Nichiro.
The broadcasting center of Wowow is in Kōtō.
Seta Corporation was headquartered in Kōtō.
Government
Kōtō City's main office is in Tōyō. There are branch offices in Shirakawa, Tomioka, Toyosu, Komatsubashi, Kameido, Ojima, Sunamachi, and Minamisuna.
Notable places
Toyosu Market, the world's largest wholesale fish market
teamLab Planets
Kameido Tenjin Shrine
Tomioka Hachiman Shrine
Fukagawa Edo Museum
Fukagawa Fudo-son
Kiyosumi Garden
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in Kiba Park
Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center)
Ariake Coliseum, site of Japan Open Tennis Championships, All Japan Tennis Championships
Ariake Tennis Forest Park, which has Ariake Coliseum and 48 tennis courts
Suzaki Baseball Field, site of Japanese Baseball League games in 1930s
Kiba Metropolitan Park
Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse Dome
Shin-Kiba 1st Ring
Tokyo Gate Bridge
Dream Bridge
Kiba Park
Kiba Park is a spacious urban park in Kōtō, covering approximately 238,711 square metres (2,569,460 sq ft). The park features jogging paths, tennis courts, a barbecue area, playgrounds, and open lawns. It is divided into northern and southern sections connected by the Kiba Park Bridge, a prominent pedestrian overpass. The park also includes the Kiba Park Urban Greening Botanical Garden and hosts seasonal events such as the "Flower and Light Movement" illumination.
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT), within Kiba Park, opened in 1995. It focuses on contemporary art from the postwar period to the present, with works by both Japanese and international artists, and houses about 5,400 artworks and 280,000 related materials. It underwent a major renovation and reopened in 2019.
Education
Colleges and universities
Ariake Junior College of Education and the Arts (Ariake Kyōiku Geijutsu Tanki Daigaku)
Musashino University (Musashino Daigaku, a private university)
Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (Tokyo Kaiyo Daigaku, part of the national university system)
Shibaura Institute of Technology (Shibaura Kougyō Daigaku)
Shurin College of Foreign Language (Shurin Gaigo Senmon Gakkou, a private 2 year college for language)
Primary and secondary schools
Public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.
Third Commercial High School
Fukagawa High School
Higashi High School
High School of Science and Technology
Johtoh High School
Koto Commercial High School
Oedo High School
Sumida Technical High School
Public elementary and middle schools are operated by the Koto City Board of Education.
Combined junior and senior high schools:
Ariake Nishi Gakuen (有明西学園)
Junior high schools:
No. 2 Kameido Junior High School (第二亀戸中学校)
No. 2 Minamisuna Junior High School (第二南砂中学校)
No. 2 Ojima Junior High School (第二大島中学校)
No. 2 Sunamachi Junior High School (第二砂町中学校)
No. 3 Kameido Junior High School (第三亀戸中学校)
No. 3 Sunamachi Junior High School (第三砂町中学校)
No. 4 Sunamachi Junior High School (第四砂町中学校)
International schools
International schools are independently owned and operated.
K. International School Tokyo
India International School in Japan
Tokyo Bay International School
Tokyo Second Korean Elementary School (東京朝鮮第二初級学校) – North Korean school
International relations
On April 20, 1989, Kōtō became a sister city of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
Notable people from Kōtō
Yuto Horigome, Japanese skateboarder, 2020 Olympic gold medalist
Shōta Sometani, Japanese actor
Takaaki Yamazaki, Japanese politician and the former mayor of Kōtō
Kazuto Sakata, Japanese former professional motorcycle racer and two-time F.I.M. 125cc world champion
Anne Nakamura, Japanese model, tarento and actress
Daisuke Matsuzaka, Japanese professional baseball pitcher, 2007 World Series champion
Daisuke Gōri, Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator
Genki Sudo, Japanese politician, former entertainer and kickboxer
Ben Kimura, Japanese politician
Hana Kimura, Japanese professional wrestler, died in Kōtō
Hiroshi Yamamoto, Japanese professional shogi player ranked 4-dan
Tomomi Kahara, Japanese pop singer
Akihito Hirose, Japanese professional shogi player ranked 8-dan
Hiromu Watanabe, Japanese professional shogi player ranked 5-dan
Yasuko Kobayashi, Japanese anime and tokusatsu drama screenwriter
Yōhei Kajiyama, Japanese former football player