Quick facts
Kumamoto overview
Kumamoto (orange) and the other large cities of Japan
Kumamoto lies in Japan at 32.81°N, 130.69°E, about 9 m above sea level. The local time zone is Asia/Tokyo (UTC+9); GeoNames classifies it as a regional capital.
It is smaller than Hamamatsu (791,707) and larger than Okayama (724,691). The largest city in Japan is Tokyo with 9,733,276 people and is also the capital.
The national capital, Tokyo, is about 887 km away; the nearest large city is Ōmuta, 34 km from Kumamoto.
Japan as a whole has a live population of 122,218,748 (-0.6% a year) and ranks #12 of 238 countries — see the Japan population page for the full statistics and the Japan atlas for provinces, terrain and society maps.
Cities near Kumamoto
Largest cities in Japan
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Kumamoto?
Kumamoto has about 738,907 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.
Is Kumamoto the capital of Japan?
No. The capital of Japan is Tokyo (9,733,276 people), about 887 km away. Kumamoto is the 18th largest city of the country and a regional capital.
How big is Kumamoto compared with the rest of Japan?
Its 738,907 residents are 0.6% of the 122,218,748 people living in Japan today. Tokyo is larger with 9,733,276 people.
Where is Kumamoto?
In Japan, at latitude 32.81 and longitude 130.69, 9 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Ōmuta (34 km), Honmachi (35 km), Kurume (59 km).
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Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Kumamoto Population 2026 — Japan. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/japan/kumamoto/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/japan/kumamoto/">Kumamoto Population 2026 — Japan</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Distances are great-circle distances between city centres. Page generated 2026-10-22. More about our data.