, also known as a or , is a defined class or category of Japanese cities. It is a local administrative division created by the national government. These cities all have a population over 500,000 people.
History
The designated cites or ordinance cities were created because of the Local Autonomy Law of Japan. Each city does many of the things normally done by prefectures.
List
Cities designated by government ordinance recognized starting in 1956. There are 20+ of these cities, including This list is not finished; you can help Wikipedia by adding to it.