TOKYO - Tokyo has climbed to second place in the Global Power City Index, overtaking New York for the first time and ending a nine-year run in third place, according to the latest ranking released on December 17th. The index evaluates 48 major cities worldwide across six fields, including economy, cultural interaction, accessibility and livability, using a total of 72 indicators. Tokyo posted sharp gains in areas such as the number of foreign visitors and the richness of its nightlife under the cultural interaction category, while ranking first globally for the sheer number of restaurants in the livability category.
Other Japanese cities also improved, with Osaka rising sharply from 35th last year to 18th, and Fukuoka climbing two places to 40th.
The ranking, compiled by a research body affiliated with Mori Building, placed London first, Tokyo second and New York third. Tokyo’s rise to second marks its highest position since the survey began in 2008. Strong evaluations were recorded for tourist appeal, nightlife and foreign visitor numbers, as well as for the density of dining and retail options. New York, by contrast, slipped to third amid rising prices and soaring housing rents.
Osaka, which hosted the Osaka-Kansai Expo, saw one of the largest jumps, moving up 17 places from its 2024 ranking.
Ai Miyaji, a newscaster, explained that Tokyo had remained in third place for nine consecutive years before surpassing New York this time, adding that while Tokyo ranked 12th in the economic category, weaker scores for wage levels and talent acquisition dragged that area down, even as livability ranked first overall and cultural interaction placed second. Environmental indicators, however, fell to seventh, resulting in a net rise to second place overall.
Asked for his reaction, Patrick Harlan noted that while some may view the ranking as biased because it was released by a Japanese foundation, Tokyo consistently ranks within the global top 10 in similar assessments by international organizations. He said Tokyo’s appeal had likely grown as inbound tourism surged, with more visitors recognizing and promoting the city’s strengths, while New York may have slipped due to high prices and political challenges.
Miyaji added that Tokyo ranked first globally in indicators such as the number of restaurants, ease of using public transportation, culinary appeal, nightlife quality and the number of cultural events. Accessibility ranked sixth overall, with high scores for public transport usability and domestic and international air travelers, as well as strong marks for bicycle mobility. By contrast, lower scores were recorded for temperature comfort at 21st, top global universities at 23rd and wage levels at 29th, down two places from the previous year, while ease of securing highly skilled talent ranked as low as 40th.
Average monthly wages highlighted the gap, with top-ranked cities such as San Francisco and Zurich or Geneva paying around $7,000 a month, roughly 1.08 million yen, compared with about 390,000 yen in Tokyo, underscoring its relatively low position globally.
Harlan said Tokyo’s potential remains enormous, noting that it boasts the world’s largest GDP relative to city size, with ample capital and business activity already in place, but argued that further improvements are needed to make it easier to start businesses and attract talent from Japan and abroad. He said global cities like New York and London are energized by people coming from outside, and Tokyo must evolve into a city that the world’s top talent actively wants to choose.
Source: FNN
