What is central place theory?

Question

How does this relate to China and Japan. What it this theories importance to this region?

Answer 1

Central Place Theory is a geographical theory that seeks to explain the size and spacing of human settlements. It rests on the notion that centralization is a natural principle of order and that human settlements follow it. Created by the German geographer Walter Christaller, the theory suggests that there are laws determining the number, size and distribution of towns. He was interested only in their functions as markets, thus excluding specialist towns such as mining settlements. He argued that population alone couldn’t measure the significance of a town.