is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself in English as Chà «à  City. It was formed in 1947 as a merger of Kyà Âbashi and Nihonbashi wards following Tokyo City's transformation into Tokyo Metropolis.
Chà «à Â-ku, as a combination of Kyà Âbashi and Nihonbashi, is the core of Shitamachi, the original downtown center of Edo-Tokyo. The name Chà «à  literally means "Central Ward," and it has historically been TokyoâÂÂs main commercial center. However, since the end of World War II, Shinjuku and Shibuya in the west have risen to challenge that position. This is reflected in the fact that Chà «à  is located entirely outside the Yamanote Line loop, which is now regarded as the inner core of central Tokyo.
Among most known districts in Chà «à  are the Nihonbashi business district, the Ginza shopping district, and the Tsukiji market district.
As of October 1, 2020, the ward has a resident population of 169,179, and a population density of 16,569 persons per km<sup>2</sup>. The total area is 10.21 km<sup>2</sup>. However, because of the concentration of businesses, offices and retail space, the daytime population swells to an estimated 650,000.
Chà «à  is in the central area of Tokyo, surrounded by the five special wards of Chiyoda, Minato, Taità Â, Sumida, and Kà Âtà Â.
Administratively, Chà «à  is divided into the three zones of Nihonbashi, Kyà Âbashi and Tsukishima. Nihonbashi and Kyà Âbashi are predominantly commercial areas on the east side of Tokyo Station, and incorporate the famous districts of Ginza and Tsukiji. Tsukishima is a separate island in Tokyo Bay dominated by condominium towers.
Until World War II, the area was crisscrossed by small rivers and canals, used by small boats which were the primary vehicles of commerce at the time. After the war, many of these waterways were filled in to make way for new roads, buildings and expressways. However, the former waterways are the basis for many of the neighborhood divisions in the ward. The Sumida River forms the eastern boundary of the ward.
Chà «à  is physically the second-smallest ward in Tokyo, with a total area of just 10.15 km<sup>2</sup>; only Taità  is smaller.
Per Japanese census data, the population has doubled since 2000 after decades of continuous rapid decline.
Ricoh is headquartered in the Ricoh Building in Chà «à Â. The company moved its headquarters to the 25-story building in the Ginza area in Chà «à  from Minato, Tokyo in 2006. In the building the headquarters occupies the same space as its sales offices. Sumitomo Corporation is headquartered in the Harumi Island Triton Square Office Tower Y in Chà «à Â. Daiichi Sankyo, a global pharmaceutical company is also headquartered in the ward, in the Daiichi Sankyo Building. Oji Paper Holdings and Hokuetsu Corporation, two pulp and paper manufacturing companies have their headquarters in Ginza and Nihonbashihongoku, respectively. J. Front Retailing has its headquarters in Yaesu. Asahi Shimbun, Mitsui E&S, and Nihon Ad Systems have their headquarters in Tsukiji. Ajinomoto, Mitsui Fudosan, Shinsei Bank, Nomura Group and Meidi-Ya are also headquartered in the ward. Shimizu Corporation and Sumitomo Mitsui Construction, two construction companies are headquartered in the ward, the former in Kyà Âbashi and the latter in Tsukuda district. Orion Breweries and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company have their Tokyo-area offices in Chà «à Â. Toray Industries, Denka and Kureha Corporation, three global chemical companies; Astellas Pharma, a global pharmaceutical company; KOSÃÂ, a personal care and cosmetics company; Nisshinbo Holdings, a diversified manufacturing company; and Akebono Brake Industry, an automobile component manufacturer have their headquarters in the Nihonbashi area of the ward. Sumitomo Chemical is also headquartered in the ward, in the Kyà Âbashi area. MODEC, a global supplier and operator of offshore floating platforms, T. Hasegawa, a flavors and fragrances company, and Nissan Chemical Corporation, have their corporate headquarters in the Nihonbashi district.
IBM has its Japan headquarters in Chà «à Â.
Dai-ichi Kikaku Senden Co., Ltd. opened in Chà «à  in Ginza, Chà «à  in December 1951. In January 1958 the company relocated to a new headquarters in Ginza. The company moved to another headquarters in Ginza in September 1961 and its name changed to Dai-ichi Kikaku Co. Ltd. In November 1974, after growth, the company moved to another headquarters in Ginza. In November 1981 Dai-ichi Kikaku moved its head office to a facility in Ginza and a facility in Uchisaiwaichà Â, Chiyoda. The headquarters of Asatsu moved to Ginza in July 1995. Asatsu and Dai-ichi Kikaku merged into Asatsu-DK on January 1, 1999.
In the late 1990s GeoCities Japan was headquartered in the Nihonbashi Hakozaki Building in Nihonbashi.
Tokyopop maintained its Japanese headquarters in Mid-Tower of the Tokyo Towers.
Chuo is run by a city assembly of 30 elected members. The current mayor is Yoshihide Yada, an independent backed Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito.
At Tokyo Station, six Shinkansen, seven ordinary railway, and one subway line serve Chà «à Â. In addition, three Toei subway lines stop at various stations throughout the ward.
Public elementary and junior high schools in Chà «à  are operated by the Chà «à  City Board of Education (ä¸Â央åºæÂÂè²å§Âå¡ä¼Â). Public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.
There is one prefectural high school in Chuo Ward, .
Public junior high schools include:
Public elementary schools include: