Metropolis, Japan. Together, they occupy the land that was originally the Tokyo City before it was abolished in 1943 to become part of the newly created Tokyo Metropolis. The special wards' structure was established under the Japanese Local Autonomy Law and is unique to Tokyo Metropolis. Submunicipal divisions Ward A is a subdivision of the cities of Japan that are large enough to have been designated by government ordinance. History Although the details of local administration have changed dramatically over time, the basic outline of the current two-tiered system since the abolition of the han system by the Meiji government in 1871 are similar. Before the abolition of the han system, Japan was divided into then subdivided into and then at the bottom. Structural hierarchy See also Decentralisation in Japan References External links Japan