Tokyo Rises to Second Place in Global Power City Index 2025 for First Time

TOKYO, December 17, 2025 – The Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) announced that Tokyo has secured its first-ever second-place ranking, surpassing New York, as well as its narrowest-ever score gap behind top-ranked London, in the Global Power City Index 2025 (GPCI-2025). The index, published annually since 2008 by the Mori Memorial Foundation’s Institute for Urban Strategies, evaluates the urban competitiveness of 48 cities worldwide. 

Tokyo’s broad appeal is reflected in its vibrant cultural attractions, dynamic nightlife and growing ability to attract international visitors. The city also earned high marks for livability, particularly for diverse dining, retail options, and its safety. Additionally, Tokyo has clean urban spaces, and Tokyo-based companies are working on advancing environmental protection initiatives. These points were considered for the overall evaluation.  

In the Financial Centers index, now in its third year as part of the GPCI rankings, Tokyo maintained its third-place position. In addition, in the newly introduced Startup Ecosystems index, Tokyo debuted in ninth place, highlighting its growing appeal as an innovation hub.  

Amid a rapidly changing global landscape, Tokyo is striving to reach even greater heights, appealing to people and businesses worldwide and continuously evolving on the global stage as the city of choice. 

* Governor Koike's comments regarding this announcement are as follows. 
* For more about GPCI-2025, please see the attached press release published by the Mori Memorial Foundation. 

GPCI-2025 Comprehensive Rankings of Top 10 Cities

Tokyo maintained its third-place ranking for nine consecutive years from 2016 to 2024. 

Comment from Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko (Excerpt from the Mori Memorial Foundation press release) 

Tokyo’s diverse charms are traditions carried on from the Edo period which coexist with modern sensibilities and have attracted many foreign travelers. In Tokyo, visitors can enjoy “culinary delights” such as traditional Japanese cuisine, including sushi, together with those from around the world. Tokyo has also captivated the world with its “entertainment.” A projection mapping using the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which symbolizes the city’s nighttime tourism, anime and manga rooted in Edo-period ukiyo-e, and traditional performing arts and sports, such as kabuki and sumo.  

In addition, Tokyo has a global reputation for public safety with low crime and terrorism risks. Tokyo is a city where lost wallets are highly likely to be returned intact. Its pleasant urban environment includes clean streets with hardly any litter. Also, the city’s abundant potential includes advanced GX technologies, the presence of one of the world’s largest financial markets, and clusters of startups and so forth have further enhanced the opportunity for new economic growth. 

While the impacts of climate change become increasingly serious, we are moving forward with the creation of a resilient city strengthened in preparedness. Tokyo’s resilience serves as the foundation for various urban activities for people to lead their daily lives with peace of mind. 

We are in times of turbulence. The Tokyo 2020 Games, the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, and the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics have shown the boundless potential of “people” again. By utilizing people’s immense potential, and the wisdom and ideas accumulated in Tokyo, our city will further implement initiatives to create a city in which everyone can pursue their own self-fulfillment and happiness. 

About the Mori Memorial Foundation’s Institute for Urban Strategies 

The Institute for Urban Strategies (IUS) at the Mori Memorial Foundation undertakes “research of urban strategies” at a wide range of fields, including society and the economy, etc, which goes beyond the framework of urban engineering from not just a domestic perspective but a global perspective as well. Since its establishment in 2008, the Global Power City Index (GPCI) has been the basis of its research activities and from that it identifies urban policy issues. The institute also engages in a wide range of related activities, including conducting commissioned research for governments and private entities as a policy think tank. 

About the Global Power City Index (GPCI) 

The Global Power City Index (GPCI) has been published annually since 2008 by the Institute for Urban Strategies at the Mori Memorial Foundation. Given the global competition between cities, the index evaluates and ranks 48 major cities worldwide based on the concept of their “magnetism,” or their comprehensive power to attract people, capital, and enterprises. 
https://www.mori-m-foundation.or.jp/english/ius2/gpci2/

Press Release PDF Version