Tokyo is the Asian capital city that is the seat of the Japanese Emperor.
The Emperor’s principal residence is the Tokyo Imperial Palace, located in Tokyo’s Chiyoda district on the grounds of the former Edo Castle. The palace complex includes the Emperor’s residence, ceremonial halls, gardens, the Imperial Household Agency, and the Three Palace Sanctuaries used for important imperial rites.
The imperial court was based in Kyoto for centuries. After the Meiji Restoration, Emperor Meiji moved to Edo in 1868; the city was renamed Tokyo, meaning “Eastern Capital,” and became the center of the modern Japanese state. The imperial move made Tokyo the country’s political capital in practice.
A common mix-up is Kyoto, which remains historically important and retains the Kyoto Imperial Palace. However, Kyoto is the former imperial capital, while Tokyo has been the Emperor’s principal seat since the nineteenth century. Japan’s current Emperor, Naruhito, resides at the Tokyo Imperial Palace.