Nipponica

The continuing development of Tokyo's railway infrastructure is fueling further growth of the capital's sprawling metropolitan area, solidifying its status as the world's largest with 37 million people -- about a third of Japan's total population.

The railway network growth has facilitated Tokyo's outward spread, attracting more people from rural regions to urban centers. The ongoing development includes investments in railways and redevelopment projects, with the future completion of the super fast Linear Chuo Shinkansen maglev line promising even faster commuting options, such as from Nagoya in central Japan to Tokyo.

Since the 2000s, redevelopment has led to a resurgence of migration to central Tokyo. The Greater Tokyo area, encompassing Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures of Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama, continues to expand both outward and inward.

Love the shoutout to Tsukuba and the Tsukuba Express commute as the example of urban growth in the Greater Tokyo region. TX forever!

Megumi Fukushima, 44, has been sharing information on social media while clearly identifying herself as an assembly member in Tsurugashima. The assembly said the deluge of opinions and protests directed at the municipal government in response to her posts had disrupted city operations. Fukushima has criticized the resolution, saying it "infringes on her freedom of speech."

In her posts, Fukushima expressed opposition to discrimination against Kurdish residents, many of whom live in the city of Kawaguchi and other parts of Saitama Prefecture. The city reportedly received a high volume of inquiries and complaints about her posts between May and July, which put a burden on responding staff.

This is all kinds of fucked up. She is standing up for people that are being demonized by society and is being muzzled for doing so because it is too burdensome for city hall. Deal with it and understand that is the sole purpose of your job as civil servants.