Arab News Japan

Tokyo made substantial gains in its overall score this year but remained in third place in the global city rankings released by a Japanese think tank on Tuesday.

The Japanese capital fell behind London and New York, which came first and second, respectively, in the 2024 Global Power City Index rankings by the Mori Memorial Foundation’s Institute for Urban Strategies.

Tokyo thus retained the spot for the ninth consecutive year.

Tokyo saw improvements in four functions: “R&D,” “Cultural Interaction,” “Livability,” and “Accessibility,” achieving the largest score increase among all 48 cities this year.

The rise in the number of foreign visitors taking advantage of a weaker yen also contributed to Tokyo’s rise.

The top five cities remained unchanged from last year, with Paris and Singapore in fourth and fifth place.

The only cities from the Middle East to make the lists of 48 cities were Dubai, which came in an impressive eighth and Cairo at No. 46.

The annual rankings comprehensively evaluate major 48 cities in the world, using a total of 70 indicators in six categories: culture and exchange, economy, research and development, livability, environment, and accessibility.

Among other Japanese cities, Osaka, which will host the 2025 World Exposition, climbed by two spots to 35th, and Fukuoka remained at 42nd.