EXPLAINING THE RECENT MIGRATION TRENDS OF THE TOKYO METROPOLITAN-AREA

The year 1994 was a very significant year for the Japanese urban syste m. In that year the Tokyo metropolitan area (TMA), which had enjoyed a net inflow of interregional migrants since the 1950s, recorded a net outflow for the first time. What factors gave rise to such a remarkabl e migration change for the area? The results from a set of time-series analyses lead the authors to conclude that, as far as the study perio d (1979-92) as a whole is concerned, the changing migration pattern of the TMA arose from factors closely related to Tokyo's transformation into a world city (specifically in terms of industrial restructuring a nd changes in residential land prices) and from cycles of economic boo m and bust. However, it was found that the change to world city was mo re important than the economic cycle. Such findings suggest that the J apanese migration system experienced structural change during the 1980 s and entered a new phase in the 1990s.