Abstract
There are many previous studies describing the connections between urban areas, but the majority of
these are described based on secondary demands such as work and school commuting. In this paper, we try to
describe connections among urban areas based on intrinsic demands such as trading or financial relationships.
Consequently, the monopolar concentration in the Tokyo metropolitan area was clearly seen while regional
centers like Osaka and Fukuoka also have a level of measurable centrality. Focusing on trading networks, there
are a significant differences between centralities in order receiving and ordering in regional cities such as
Fukuoka and Sendai. Looking at financing networks, there are relatively stronger connections with adjacent
areas while those links are relatively weak when compared to large cities. Also, the networks of small and
medium enterprises tend to be scattered.
