City designated by government ordinance (original) (raw)
City designated by government ordinance, or Government Ordinance City (政令指定都市 seirei shitei tosi) is a city of Japan that has more than 500,000 population and important economical and industrial functions and is considered a large city in Japan. The city is designated under the Article 252, Clause 19, the first term of the local government law of Japan.
No city that once had a status has lost the status of designation.