| Tokyo Bay | |
|---|---|
| 東京湾 (Tōkyō-wan) | |
 ESA Sentinel-2 image of Tokyo Bay | |
  Tokyo Bay Location of Tokyo Bay | |
| Location | Honshu, Japan |
| Coordinates | 35°31′21″N139°54′36″E / 35.52250°N 139.91000°E /35.52250; 139.91000 |
| River sources | Ara River Edo River Obitsu River Yoro River |
| Ocean/sea sources | Pacific Ocean |
| Basin countries | Japan |
| Surface area | 1,500 km2 (580 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Max. depth | 70 m (230 ft) |
| Islands | Sarushima |
Tokyo Bay (東京湾,Tōkyō-wan) is a bay located in the southernKantō region ofJapan spanning the coasts ofTokyo,Kanagawa Prefecture, andChiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to thePacific Ocean by theUraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is the most populous and the largest industrialized area in Japan.[1][2][3][4][5]
In ancient times, the Japanese knew Tokyo Bay as theuchi-umi (内海) , which means "inner sea". By theAzuchi–Momoyama period (1568–1600) the area had become known asEdo Bay (江戸湾,Edo-wan) after the city ofEdo. The bay took its present name in modern times, after the Imperial court moved to Edo and renamed the city Tokyo in 1868.[6]
Tokyo Bay juts prominently into theKantō Plain.[4] It is surrounded by theBōsō Peninsula inChiba Prefecture to the east and theMiura Peninsula inKanagawa Prefecture to the west.[1][2] Theshore of Tokyo Bay consists of adiluvialplateau and is subject to rapid marineerosion. Sediments on the shore of the bay make for a smooth, continuous shoreline.[5]
In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line fromCape Kannon on the west of Miura Peninsula toCape Futtsu on the east Bōsō Peninsula. This area covers about 922 km2 (356 sq mi) in 2012,reclamation projects continue to slowly shrink the bay.[4][5]
In a broader sense, Tokyo Bay includes the Uraga Channel. By this definition the bay opens from an area north of the straight line fromCape Tsurugisaki on the east of Miura Peninsula toCape Sunosaki on the west of the Boso Peninsula. This area covers about 1,100 km2 (420 sq mi). The area of Tokyo Bay combined with theUraga Channel covers 1,500 km2 (580 sq mi).[3][4][5]
Theshoal between Cape Futtsu in Chiba Prefecture andCape Honmaku inYokohama is known asNakanose, and has a depth of 20 m (66 ft).[5] North of this area the bay has a depth of 40 m (130 ft) and an uncomplicatedunderwatertopography. Areas south of Nakanose are significantly deeper moving towards the Pacific Ocean.
The only natural island in Tokyo Bay isSarushima (0.055 km2 (0.021 sq mi)) atYokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. Sarushima was one of the locations fortified withcoastal artillery during theBakumatsu period and was subsequently incorporated into theTokyo Bay Fortress during theMeiji period. TheImperial Japanese Navy maintained adegaussing station on the island until theend of World War II. The island is now uninhabited and is a marine park.[7]
Manyartificial islands were built as naval fortifications in theMeiji andTaishō periods. After World War II these islands were converted to residential or recreational use.Odaiba, also known asDaiba, was one of six artificial islands constructed in 1853 as a fortification to protect theTokugawa shogunate atEdo, and was known as the Shinagawa Daiba. After World War II Odaiba was incorporated into Tokyo and redeveloped for commercial and recreational use.[8] Before World War II,Yumenoshima was planned as an airfield (one of the largest in the world at the time), but after the US military expansion ofHaneda Airport following World War II, the plan of the airfield fell through. The island briefly opened as a public beach before being repurposed and used as alandfill between 1957 and 1967 to dispose of the large quantities of garbage from the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. The reclaimed land now hostsYumenoshima Park with numerous recreational facilities.Hakkei Island (0.24 km2 (0.093 sq mi)), formerly Landfill Number 14, was constructed in 1985 and is home toYokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise.[9] Other artificial islands includeHeiwa,Katsushima,Shōwa,Keihin, andHigashiōgi islands.
Numerous rivers empty into Tokyo Bay, and all provide water for residential and industrial areas along the bay. TheTama andSumida rivers empty into the bay at Tokyo.[3] TheEdo River empties into Tokyo Bay between Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture. TheObitsu andYōrō rivers empty into the bay in Chiba Prefecture.
Land reclamation has been carried out along the coast of Tokyo Bay since the Meiji period. Areas along the shore with a depth of less than 5 m (16 ft) are simplest to carry outlandfill, andsand from the floor of Tokyo Bay is used for these projects. The topography of the shoreline of Tokyo Bay differs greatly from that of the pre-modern period due to ongoing land reclamation projects.[5] Tokyo Bay includes about 249 km2 (96 sq mi) of reclaimed land area in 2012. Aggregate household waste production is enormous inGreater Tokyo, there is little room for traditional garbage disposal sites; waste is rigorously sorted at the household, much of it is turned into ash and further recycled into bay landfill.
TheTokyo Bay Aqua-Linebridge-tunnel crosses Tokyo Bay between Kawasaki and Kisarazu; Tokyo-Wan Ferry also crosses the bay toward the Uraga Channel between Kurihama (in Yokosuka) and Kanaya (in Futtsu on the Chiba side).
Tokyo Bay was a historical center of thefishing industry, a source ofshellfish, and otheraquaculture. These industries decreased with the industrialization of the Tokyo Bay region early in the 20th century, and almost completely ceased with the construction of theKeihin andKeiyō industrial zones directly afterWorld War II.[1]
A number of Japan's most importantports are located in Tokyo Bay.[1] ThePort of Yokohama, thePort of Chiba, thePort of Tokyo, the Port of Kawasaki, thePort of Yokosuka, thePort of Kisarazu, rank not only as the busiest ports in Japan, but also in theAsia-Pacific Region.
Industrial zones on Tokyo Bay were developed as early as theMeiji era (1868–1912). TheKeihin Industrial Zone was built onreclaimed land in Kanagawa Prefecture to the west of Tokyo. This was expanded to theKeiyō Industrial Zone in Chiba Prefecture along the north and east coasts of Tokyo Bay afterWorld War II. The development of the two zones has resulted in the largest industrialized area in Japan.[5] The large-scale industrial zones of the coastal Tokyo region have caused significantair andwater pollution.[1]
The Port of Yokosuka contains the naval bases of theJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force and theUnited States Forces Japan.
_flyover%2c_Tokyo_Bay%2c_2_September_1945_(520775).jpg)
Tokyo Bay was the venue for thePerry Expedition, which involved two separate trips from 1853 to 1854 between the United States and Japan by CommodoreMatthew Perry (1794–1858). Perry sailed on his four "Black Ships" into Edo Bay on July 8, 1853, and began negotiations with theTokugawa shogunate that led to a peace and tradetreaty between the United States and Japan in 1854.[10][11]
TheJapanese Instrument of Surrender at the end ofWorld War II was signed on September 2, 1945, on boardUSS Missouri (BB-63), which was anchored at 35° 21′ 17″ N 139° 45′ 36″ E. A flag from one of Commodore Perry's ships was flown in from the Naval Academy Museum and displayed at the ceremony.
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