The "Big Mikan" (Japanese orange) -- as the Japanese capital is affectionately known -- keeps getting bigger.

Tokyo and its surrounding areas marked the 19th consecutive year of net population increase in 2014, as 110,000 more people moved into the area than moved out.

Statistics released Thursday by the internal affairs ministry showed that about 470,000 people moved to Tokyo and its three neighboring prefectures, Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba, while 360,000 moved out.

The metropolis was the only one of Japan's three most densely populated areas that had a net population inflow. Both the Chubu area, which includes the city of Nagoya, and Kansai, which includes Osaka, had fewer people moving in than moving out.

Overall, seven of 47 prefectures had a net population inflow in 2014, with Tokyo gaining the most people at 73,280. Hokkaido had the largest net outflow, at 8,942.

The United Nations said last year in a report that 54% of the world's population now lives in urban areas, and the proportion is expected to increase to 66% by 2050. The report said Tokyo tops the list of most populous urban areas, with 38 million inhabitants, ahead of Delhi with 25 million and Shanghai with 23 million.

In the hopes of revitalizing local economies, the Japanese government announced a plan in December to reduce the net inflow of people into Tokyo to zero by 2020.