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The prefectures of Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 are the country's 47 sub-national jurisdiction
Jurisdiction

In law, jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility....
s: one "metropolis" (? to), Tokyo
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
; one "circuit" (? do), Hokkaido
Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47 prefectures of Japan....
; two urban prefecture
Prefecture

Prefecture indicates the office, seat, territorial circumscription of a Prefect. The term prefecture is also used to refer to offices analogous to prefectures....
s (? fu), Osaka
Osaka Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan located in the Kinki region on Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka, Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area....
 and Kyoto
Kyoto Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Kinki region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Kyoto....
; and 43 other prefectures (? ken). In Japanese
Japanese language

IPA: [n?iho?go] is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is related to the Ryukyuan languages....
, they are commonly referred to as . Prefecture
Prefecture

Prefecture indicates the office, seat, territorial circumscription of a Prefect. The term prefecture is also used to refer to offices analogous to prefectures....
s are governmental bodies larger than cities
Cities of Japan

|||}A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of ....
, towns
Towns of Japan

A town is a Local government in Japan. It is a local public body along with Prefectures of Japan, Cities of Japan, and Villages of Japan. Geographically, a town is contained within a Prefectures of Japan....
, and villages
Villages of Japan

A is a Local government in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a Prefectures of Japan....
.

The chief executive of each prefecture is a directly-elected . Ordinances and budgets are enacted by a single-chamber whose elected members serve four-year terms.

Under the current Local Autonomy Law, each prefecture is further subdivided into cities (? shi) and districts (? gun).






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The prefectures of Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 are the country's 47 sub-national jurisdiction
Jurisdiction

In law, jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility....
s: one "metropolis" (? to), Tokyo
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
; one "circuit" (? do), Hokkaido
Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47 prefectures of Japan....
; two urban prefecture
Prefecture

Prefecture indicates the office, seat, territorial circumscription of a Prefect. The term prefecture is also used to refer to offices analogous to prefectures....
s (? fu), Osaka
Osaka Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan located in the Kinki region on Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka, Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area....
 and Kyoto
Kyoto Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Kinki region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Kyoto....
; and 43 other prefectures (? ken). In Japanese
Japanese language

IPA: [n?iho?go] is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is related to the Ryukyuan languages....
, they are commonly referred to as . Prefecture
Prefecture

Prefecture indicates the office, seat, territorial circumscription of a Prefect. The term prefecture is also used to refer to offices analogous to prefectures....
s are governmental bodies larger than cities
Cities of Japan

|||}A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of ....
, towns
Towns of Japan

A town is a Local government in Japan. It is a local public body along with Prefectures of Japan, Cities of Japan, and Villages of Japan. Geographically, a town is contained within a Prefectures of Japan....
, and villages
Villages of Japan

A is a Local government in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a Prefectures of Japan....
.

The chief executive of each prefecture is a directly-elected . Ordinances and budgets are enacted by a single-chamber whose elected members serve four-year terms.

Under the current Local Autonomy Law, each prefecture is further subdivided into cities (? shi) and districts (? gun). Each district is further subdivided into towns (? cho or machi) and villages (? son or mura). Hokkaido has 14 subprefectures
Subprefectures in Hokkaido

Hokkaido has 14 branch offices called ?? in Japanese language, which is often translated in English as subprefectures. Normally, a subprefecture consists of a few to a dozen cities, towns, and/or villages....
 and those act as branch offices (?? shicho) of the prefecture. Some other prefectures also have branch offices, which carry out prefectural administrative functions outside the capital.

Historical background


The current system was established by the Meiji government
Government of Meiji Japan

The Government of Meiji period Japan from 1868-1911 was an evolution of institutions and structures from the feudal order of the Tokugawa bakufu towards a constitutional monarchy encompassing pro-forma representative democracy....
 in July 1871 with the abolition of the han system
Abolition of the han system

The was an act, in 1871, of the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan to replace the traditional feudal domain system and to introduce centralized government authority ....
 and establishment of the prefecture system (???? haihan-chiken). Although there were initially over 300 prefectures, many of them being former han territories, this number was reduced to 72 in the latter part of 1871, and 47 in 1888. The Local Autonomy Law
Local Autonomy Law

The Local Autonomy Law of Japan was passed as Law No. 67 on April 17, 1947, an Act of Devolution that established most of Japan's contemporary local government structures, including prefectures of Japan, municipalities of Japan and other entities....
 of 1947 gave more political power to prefectures, and installed prefectural governors and parliaments.

In 2003, then-Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Japan

The is the usual English-language term used for the head of government of Japan, although the literal translation of the Japanese name for the office is Prime Minister of the Cabinet....
 Junichiro Koizumi
Junichiro Koizumi

is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He is going to retire from politics when his term in parliament ends....
 proposed that the government consolidate the current prefectures
Merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan

are actions taken, either within one municipality or between multiple municipalities, after making a consensus agreement to do so....
 into about 10 regional states. The plan called for each region to have greater autonomy than existing prefectures. This process would reduce the number of sub-prefecture administrative regions and cut administrative costs. The Japanese government is also considering a plan by which several groups of prefectures would merge, creating a sub-national administrative division system consisting of between nine and thirteen states, and giving these states more local autonomy than the current prefectures enjoy. As of July 2008, no reorganization has taken place.

Types of prefectures

Japan1855
To, do, fu, and ken differ in name only for historical reasons. Since 1947, there is no administrative difference between the four types. Usually, prefectures are called by their name only, without the suffix, except for Hokkaido
Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47 prefectures of Japan....
. However, the suffix is used when it is necessary to distinguish between the prefecture and a city of the same name. For example, Hiroshima-ken is the Japanese name of the prefecture, and Hiroshima-shi is its largest city.

Fu (Osaka/Kyoto) and Ken

During the Edo period
Edo period

The , or , is a division of History of Japan running from 1603 to 1868. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu....
, the bakufu
Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the , and the , was a feudalism regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family....
 established bugyo-ruled zones around the nine largest cities in Japan, and 302 township-ruled zones elsewhere. When the Meiji government began to create the prefectural system in 1868, the first year of Meiji period
Meiji period

The , or Meiji era, denotes the 45-year reign of the Meiji Emperor, running, in the Gregorian calendar, from 23 October 1868 to 30 July 1912. During this time, Japan started its modernization and rose to world power status....
, while the nine bugyo-ruled zones became fu, the township-ruled zones and the rest of the bugyo-ruled zones became ken: later, in 1871 the government designated Tokyo
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
, Osaka
Osaka Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan located in the Kinki region on Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka, Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area....
, and Kyoto
Kyoto Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Kinki region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Kyoto....
 as fu, and relegated the other fu to the status of ken. During World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, in 1943, Tokyo became a to, a new type of pseudo-prefecture (see below).

Before World War II, different laws applied to fu and ken, but this distinction was abolished after the war, and the two types of prefecture are now functionally the same. As a result, the English language
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 does not usually distinguish between fu and ken, calling both simply "prefectures".

Hokkaido

The term do (circuit) was originally used to refer to regions of Japan, such as Tokaido
Tokaido (region)

The was originally an old Japanese geographical region that made up the gokishichido system and was situated along the southeastern edge of Honshu, its name literally means 'Eastern Sea Way'....
 and Saikaido
Saikaido

is one of the main Circuit of the Gokishichido system, which was originally established during the Asuka Period. Literally translated, it means 'western sea road', and was the name used for Kyushu and the islands of Tsushima Island and Iki Island....
, consisting of several provinces
Provinces of Japan

Before the modern Prefectures of Japan was established, the land of Japan was divided into tens of kuni , usually known in English language as provinces....
. It uses the kanji
Kanji

are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese language logogram along with hiragana , katakana , Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet....
 for "road" and is considered to have been settled by Emperor Temmu
Emperor Temmu

was the 40th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He ruled from 672 until his death in 686....
.

Hokkaido
Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47 prefectures of Japan....
, the only remaining do today, was not one of the original seven do (it was known as Ezo
Ezo

is a Japanese name which historically referred to the lands to the north of Japan. It was used in various different senses, sometimes meaning the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, and sometimes meaning lands and waters further north in the Sea of Okhotsk....
 in the pre-modern era). Its current name is believed to originate from Matsuura Takeshiro, an early Japanese explorer of the island. Since Hokkaido did not fit into the existing do classifications, a new do was created to cover it.

The Meiji government originally classified Hokkaido as a "Settlement Envoyship" (??? kaitakushi), and later divided the island into three prefectures (Sapporo, Hakodate, and Nemuro). These were consolidated into a single Hokkaido prefecture in 1886. The -ken suffix was never added to its name, so the -do suffix came to be understood to mean "prefecture".

When Hokkaido was incorporated, transportation on the island was still very underdeveloped, so the prefecture was split into several "sub-prefectures" (?? shicho) that could fulfill administrative duties of the prefectural government and keep tight control over the developing island. These sub-prefectures still exist today, although they have much less power than they possessed before and during World War II: they now exist primarily to handle paperwork and other bureaucratic functions.

"Hokkaido Prefecture" is, technically speaking, a redundant term, although it is occasionally used to differentiate the government from the island itself. The government of the prefecture calls itself the "Hokkaido Government" rather than the "Hokkaido Prefectural Government".

The largest city and prefectural capital of Hokkaido is Sapporo, the fifth largest city in Japan. Other major cities include Hakodate.

Tokyo-to

The only to in Japan is Tokyo. Following the abolition of the han system
Abolition of the han system

The was an act, in 1871, of the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan to replace the traditional feudal domain system and to introduce centralized government authority ....
, Tokyo-fu (an urban prefecture like Kyoto and Osaka) encompassed a number of cities, the largest of which was Tokyo City
Tokyo City

was a Cities of Japan in Japan which existed from May 1, 1889 until its merger with Tokyo Prefecture in July 1, 1943. The historical boundaries of Tokyo City are now occupied by independent Special wards of Tokyo....
. Tokyo City was divided into 15 wards.

In 1943, Tokyo City was abolished, Tokyo-fu became Tokyo-to, and Tokyo's wards became the special wards, local authorities falling directly under the prefecture in hierarchy, each with their own elected assemblies (kugikai) and mayors (kucho). A number of suburban villages and towns of Tokyo City were changed to wards, bringing the total number of special wards to 35.

The reason for this reorganization was to consolidate the administration of the area around the capital by eliminating the extra level of authority in Tokyo. The central government wanted to have a greater degree of control over Tokyo due to Japan's deteriorating position in World War II and the possibility of emergency in the metropolis.

After the war, Japan was forced to decentralize Tokyo again, following the general terms of democratization outlined in the Potsdam Declaration
Potsdam Declaration

The Potsdam Declaration or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender was a statement issued on July 26 for the surrender of Japanese forces, 1945, by United States President of the United States Harry S....
. Many of Tokyo's special governmental characteristics disappeared during this time, and the wards took on an increasingly municipal status in the decades following the surrender. Administratively, today's special wards are almost indistinguishable from other municipalities.

The postwar reforms also changed the map of Tokyo significantly. In 1947, the 35 wards were reorganized into the 23 special wards, because many had died in the bombardments during the war, many survivors had left the city, and many men who had been drafted had not returned.

There are some differences in terminology between Tokyo and other prefectures: police and fire departments are called cho instead of honbu, for instance. However, the only functional difference between Tokyo-to and other prefectures is that Tokyo administers wards as well as cities. Today, since the special wards have almost the same degree of independence as Japanese cities, the difference in administration between Tokyo and other prefectures is fairly minor (see 23 special wards for details).

The Japanese government still translates Tokyo-to as "Tokyo Metropolis" in almost all cases, and the government is officially called the "Tokyo Metropolitan Government". However, some people still call Tokyo-to "Tokyo Prefecture" in English.

Lists of prefectures


List in ISO Order

The prefectures are also often grouped into regions
Regions of Japan

The regions of Japan are not official administrative units, but have been traditionally used as the regional division of Japan in a number of contexts....
. Those regions are not formally specified, they do not have elected officials, nor are they corporate bodies. However, the practice of ordering prefectures based on their geographic location is common. From north to south (numbering in ISO 3166-2:JP
ISO 3166-2:JP

ISO 3166-2:JPis an International Organization for Standardization standard which defines geocodes: it is the subset of ISO 3166-2 which applies to...
 order), the prefectures of Japan and their commonly associated regions are:

Hokkaido
Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47 prefectures of Japan....
1. Hokkaido
Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47 prefectures of Japan....

Tohoku
Tohoku region

The is a geographical area of Japan. Tohoku is Japanese language for "northeast," and the Tohoku region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan....
2. Aomori
Aomori Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Tohoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori, Aomori....

3. Iwate
Iwate Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Tohoku region on Honshu island. The capital is Morioka, Iwate....

4. Miyagi
Miyagi Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Tohoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai, Miyagi....

5. Akita
Akita Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Tohoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita, Akita....

6. Yamagata
Yamagata Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Tohoku region on Honshu island. Its capital is Yamagata, Yamagata....

7. Fukushima
Fukushima Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Tohoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima, Fukushima....

Kanto
Kanto region

The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region encompasses seven Prefectures of Japan which overlaps the Greater Tokyo Area: Gunma Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture, and Kanagawa Prefecture....
8. Ibaraki
Ibaraki Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Kanto region on Honshu island. The capital is Mito, Ibaraki....

9. Tochigi
Tochigi Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu, Japan. The capital is the city of Utsunomiya, Tochigi. Utsunomiya is famous for its many Jiaozi specialist shops....

10. Gunma
Gunma Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the northwest corner of the Kanto region on Honshu island. Its capital is Maebashi....

11. Saitama
Saitama Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama, Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which floods of residents commute each day....

12. Chiba
Chiba Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba, Chiba....

13. Tokyo
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....

14. Kanagawa
Kanagawa Prefecture

is a prefectures of Japan located in the southern Kanto region of Honshu, Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area....
Chubu
Chubu region

The is the central region of Honshu, Japan's main island. Chubu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chubu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures: Aichi Prefecture, Fukui Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Toyama Prefecture, Yamanashi...
15. Niigata
Niigata Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on Honshu island on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata, Niigata. The name Niigata literally means "New Lagoon"....

16. Toyama
Toyama Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chubu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Toyama, Toyama.Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity due to abundant water resources....

17. Ishikawa
Ishikawa Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chubu region on Honshu island. The capital is Kanazawa, Ishikawa....

18. Fukui
Fukui Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chubu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Fukui, Fukui....

19. Yamanashi
Yamanashi Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chubu region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Kofu....

20. Nagano
Nagano Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chubu region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Nagano, Nagano....

21. Gifu
Gifu Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan located in the Chubu region list of regions in Japan of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu, Gifu. Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendo....

22. Shizuoka
Shizuoka Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chubu region on Honshu. The capital is the city of Shizuoka, Shizuoka....

23. Aichi
Aichi Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Tokai region of the Chubu region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chukyo Metropolitan Area....

Kansai
Kansai

The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu. The region includes the prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Wakayama Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Osaka Prefecture, Hyogo Prefecture, and Shiga Prefecture....
24. Mie
Mie Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan which is part of the Kinki and Chubu regions on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Tsu, Mie....

25. Shiga
Shiga Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan which is part of the Kansai region on Honshu Island. The capital is the city of Otsu, Shiga....

26. Kyoto
Kyoto Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Kinki region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Kyoto....

27. Osaka
Osaka Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan located in the Kinki region on Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka, Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area....

28. Hyogo
Hyogo Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Kinki region on Honshu island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo....

29. Nara
Nara Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan in the Kansai region on Honshu Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara, Nara....

30. Wakayama
Wakayama Prefecture

File:WakayamaMapCurrent.png is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Wakayama, Wakayama....
Chugoku
Chugoku region

The or is the westernmost region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Shimane Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Okayama Prefecture....
31. Tottori
Tottori Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chugoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Tottori, Tottori. It is the least populous prefecture in Japan....

32. Shimane
Shimane Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chugoku region on Honshu island. The capital is Matsue, Shimane. It is the second least populous prefecture in Japan, next to the Tottori Prefecture that is a neighboring prefecture on the east side....

33. Okayama
Okayama Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chugoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Okayama....

34. Hiroshima
Hiroshima Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chugoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima....

35. Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chugoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi located in the center of the Prefecture: The largest city, by contrast, is Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi....

Shikoku
Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshu and east of Kyushu island. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima ....
36. Tokushima
Tokushima Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on Shikoku island. The Capital is the city of Tokushima, Tokushima....

37. Kagawa
Kagawa Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is Takamatsu.History Kagawa was formerly known as Sanuki Province....

38. Ehime
Ehime Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan in northwestern Shikoku, Japan. The capital is Matsuyama, Ehime....

39. Kochi
Kochi Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kochi, Kochi....

Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
40. Fukuoka
Fukuoka Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka, Fukuoka....

41. Saga
Saga Prefecture

is located in the northwest part of the island of Kyushu, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the Prefectures of Japan is a region famous for producing Ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Saga, Imari, Saga, and Arita, Saga....

42. Nagasaki
Nagasaki Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Nagasaki, Nagasaki....

43. Kumamoto
Kumamoto Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto, Kumamoto....

44. Oita
Oita Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The prefectural capital is the city of Oita, Oita....

45. Miyazaki
Miyazaki Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Miyazaki, Miyazaki....

46. Kagoshima
Kagoshima Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on Kyushu island. The capital is the city of Kagoshima, Kagoshima....

47. Okinawa
Okinawa Prefecture

is one of Japan's southern Prefectures of Japan, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 km long, which extends southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan....
 


Karafuto
Karafuto Prefecture

was the Empire of Japan administrative division corresponding to Japanese territory on Sakhalin from 1905 ?1945. Through the Treaty of Portsmouth, the portion of Sakhalin south of 50?N became a colony of Japan in 1905....
, a portion of the island of Sakhalin
Sakhalin

Sakhalin , also Saghalien, is a large elongated island in the North Pacific, lying between 45?50' and 54?24' N. It is part of Russia and is its largest island, administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast....
 north of Hokkaido (not shown on the map), was part of Japan from 1907 until World War II. The entire island is now governed by Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
, but some Japanese people claim Karafuto is still part of Japan.

List in alphabetical order

Prefecture
Prefecture

Prefecture indicates the office, seat, territorial circumscription of a Prefect. The term prefecture is also used to refer to offices analogous to prefectures....
 Japanese
Japanese language

IPA: [n?iho?go] is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is related to the Ryukyuan languages....
 Capital
Prefectural capital

A prefectural capital is a city where a Prefecture and assembly is located....
Region		 Island
Japanese Archipelago

The , which forms the country of Japan, extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland, washing upon the northwestern shores of the Pacific Ocean....
 Population
List of Japanese prefectures by population

National population: 127,708,050....
¹		 Area
List of Japanese prefectures ranked by area

References # ...
²		 Density
Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans....
³		 Distr.
Districts of Japan

The was most recently used as an administrative unit in Japan between 1878 and 1921 and is roughly equivalent to the county of the United States, ranking at the level below prefecture and above Cities of Japan, Towns of Japan or Villages of Japan....
 Municip. ISO
ISO 3166-2:JP

ISO 3166-2:JPis an International Organization for Standardization standard which defines geocodes: it is the subset of ISO 3166-2 which applies to...
??? Nagoya
Nagoya, Aichi

is the List of Japanese cities by population and the fourth most populous urban area in Japan.Located on the Pacific coast in the Chubu region on central Honshu, it is the Capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major seaports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, Chiba, and Hakata-ku, Fukuoka....
Chubu
Chubu region

The is the central region of Honshu, Japan's main island. Chubu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chubu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures: Aichi Prefecture, Fukui Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Toyama Prefecture, Yamanashi...
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 7,043,235 5,153.81 1,366 15 88 JP-23
??? Akita
Akita, Akita

is the capital cities of Japan of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.As of January 11, 2005 with the merger of the former Kawabe District, Akita , the city has an estimated population of 336,250 and population density of 371 persons per km?....
Tohoku
Tohoku region

The is a geographical area of Japan. Tohoku is Japanese language for "northeast," and the Tohoku region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 1,189,215 11,612.11 102 8 29 JP-05
??? Aomori
Aomori, Aomori

is the capital cities of Japan of Aomori Prefecture, in Japan. The city faces the Tsugaru Strait via Mutsu Bay to the North and the Hakkoda Mountains to the South....
Tohoku
Tohoku region

The is a geographical area of Japan. Tohoku is Japanese language for "northeast," and the Tohoku region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 1,475,635 9,606.26 154 8 61 JP-02
??? Chiba
Chiba, Chiba

is the capital cities of Japan of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is located approximately 40 km east of the center of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. Chiba City became a City designated by government ordinance in 1992....
Kanto
Kanto region

The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region encompasses seven Prefectures of Japan which overlaps the Greater Tokyo Area: Gunma Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture, and Kanagawa Prefecture....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 5,926,349 5,156.15 1,149 9 80 JP-12
??? Matsuyama
Matsuyama, Ehime

is the capital Cities of Japan of Ehime Prefecture on the Shikoku island of Japan. It is located on the northeastern portion of the Dogo Plain. Its name means "pine tree mountain." The city was founded on December 15, 1889....
Shikoku
Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshu and east of Kyushu island. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima ....
 Shikoku
Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshu and east of Kyushu island. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima ....
 1,493,126 5,676.44 263 7 28 JP-38
??? Fukui
Fukui, Fukui

is a cities of Japan located in the Hokuriku region within the Chubu region of Japan, which is on Honshu island. It is the largest city and capital of Fukui Prefecture....
Chubu
Chubu region

The is the central region of Honshu, Japan's main island. Chubu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chubu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures: Aichi Prefecture, Fukui Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Toyama Prefecture, Yamanashi...
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 828,960 4,188.76 198 10 29 JP-18
??? Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka

is the capital cities of Japan of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan, across the Korea Strait from South Korea Busan....
Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 5,015,666 4,971.01 1,009 17 91 JP-40
??? Fukushima
Fukushima, Fukushima

is the capital cities of Japan of Fukushima Prefecture in the Tohoku Region region of Japan.It lies about 250 km north of Tokyo and 80 km south of Sendai ....
Tohoku
Tohoku region

The is a geographical area of Japan. Tohoku is Japanese language for "northeast," and the Tohoku region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 2,126,998 13,782.54 154 14 85 JP-07
??? Gifu
Gifu, Gifu

is a cities of Japan located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country....
Chubu
Chubu region

The is the central region of Honshu, Japan's main island. Chubu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chubu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures: Aichi Prefecture, Fukui Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Toyama Prefecture, Yamanashi...
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 2,107,687 10,598.18 199 11 49 JP-21
??? Maebashi
Maebashi, Gunma

is the capital cities of Japan of Gunma prefecture in Japan.The city was founded on April 1, 1892, by the samurai Makuba Kawai. On December 5, 2004 the former town of Ogo, Gunma and former villages of Kasukawa, Gunma and Miyagi, Gunma from Seta District, Gunma merged into the city....
Kanto
Kanto region

The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region encompasses seven Prefectures of Japan which overlaps the Greater Tokyo Area: Gunma Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture, and Kanagawa Prefecture....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 2,024,820 6,363.16 318 12 61 JP-10
??? HiroshimaChugoku
Chugoku region

The or is the westernmost region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Shimane Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Okayama Prefecture....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 2,878,949 8,476.95 340 10 37 JP-34
??? Sapporo
Sapporo, Hokkaido

is the fifth-largest cities of Japan in Japan by population. It is the cities of Japan of Hokkaido Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an City designated by government ordinance of Japan....
Hokkaido
Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47 prefectures of Japan....
 Hokkaido
Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47 prefectures of Japan....
 5,682,950 83,452.47 68 66 207 JP-01
??? KobeKansai Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 5,550,742 8,392.42 661 13 60 JP-28
??? Mito
Mito, Ibaraki

is the Capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan and has a central location, moderately offset towards the coast in that prefecture. As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 263,748 and a total area is 217.45 km?, giving a population density of 1,212.91 persons per km?....
Kanto
Kanto region

The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region encompasses seven Prefectures of Japan which overlaps the Greater Tokyo Area: Gunma Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture, and Kanagawa Prefecture....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 2,985,424 6,095.62 490 13 61 JP-08
??? Kanazawa
Kanazawa, Ishikawa

is the capital cities of Japan of Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan....
Chubu
Chubu region

The is the central region of Honshu, Japan's main island. Chubu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chubu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures: Aichi Prefecture, Fukui Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Toyama Prefecture, Yamanashi...
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 1,180,935 4,185.32 282 7 25 JP-17
??? Morioka
Morioka, Iwate

is the capital cities of Japan of Iwate Prefecture prefecture, Japan.As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 300,740 and the population density of 588.11 persons per km?....
Tohoku
Tohoku region

The is a geographical area of Japan. Tohoku is Japanese language for "northeast," and the Tohoku region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 1,416,198 15,278.51 93 12 46 JP-03
??? Takamatsu
Takamatsu, Kagawa

is located in central Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan, and is the seat of the prefectural government. It is designated a core city by the Japanese Government....
Shikoku
Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshu and east of Kyushu island. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima ....
 Shikoku
Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshu and east of Kyushu island. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima ....
 1,022,843 1,861.70 549 5 17 JP-37
???? Kagoshima
Kagoshima, Kagoshima

is the capital cities of Japan of Kagoshima Prefecture at the southwestern tip of the Kyushu island of Japan, and the largest city in the prefecture by some margin....
Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 1,786,214 9,132.42 196 11 49 JP-46
???? Yokohama
Yokohama

is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kanto region of the main island of Honshu. It is a major commercial hub of the Greater Tokyo Area....
Kanto
Kanto region

The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region encompasses seven Prefectures of Japan which overlaps the Greater Tokyo Area: Gunma Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture, and Kanagawa Prefecture....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 8,489,932 2,415.42 3,515 7 35 JP-14
??? Kochi
Kochi, Kochi

is the capital cities of Japan of Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku island of Japan.Kochi is the main city of the prefecture with over 40% of its population....
Shikoku
Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshu and east of Kyushu island. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima ....
 Shikoku
Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshu and east of Kyushu island. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima ....
 813,980 7,104.70 115 6 35 JP-39
??? Kumamoto
Kumamoto, Kumamoto

is the capital cities of Japan of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Greater Kumamoto has a population of 1,460,000, as of the 2000 Census....
Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 1,859,451 6,908.45 269 10 48 JP-43
??? KyotoKansai Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 2,644,331 4,612.93 573 6 28 JP-26
??? Tsu
Tsu, Mie

is the capital of Mie Prefecture, Japan. It is located on Ise Bay.Tsu originally developed as a castle town. During the Edo era, it became a popular stopping point for travelers to Grand Shrine of Ise, about 40 km to the southeast....
Kansai Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 1,857,365 5760.72 322 7 29 JP-24
??? Sendai
Sendai, Miyagi

is the capital cities of Japan of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tohoku Region region. The city has a population of one million and is one of Japan's seventeen City designated by government ordinance....
Tohoku
Tohoku region

The is a geographical area of Japan. Tohoku is Japanese language for "northeast," and the Tohoku region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 2,365,204 6,861.51 325 10 36 JP-04
??? Miyazaki
Miyazaki, Miyazaki

is the capital cities of Japan of Miyazaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.The city was founded on April 1, 1924. On January 1, 2006 the towns of Tano, Miyazaki, Sadowara, Miyazaki, and Takaoka, Miyazaki merged into the city....
Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 1,170,023 6,684.67 175 8 30 JP-45
??? Nagano
Nagano, Nagano

, the capital cities of Japan of Nagano Prefecture, is located in the northern part of the prefecture near the confluence of the Chikuma and the Sai rivers, on the main Japanese island of Honshu....
Chubu
Chubu region

The is the central region of Honshu, Japan's main island. Chubu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chubu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures: Aichi Prefecture, Fukui Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Toyama Prefecture, Yamanashi...
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 2,214,409 12,598.48 163 16 120 JP-20
??? NagasakiKyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 1,516,536 4,092.80 371 9 79 JP-42
??? Nara
Nara, Nara

is the capital cities of Japan of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture....
Kansai Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 1,442,862 3,691.09 391 8 47 JP-29
??? Niigata
Niigata, Niigata

is the capital and the most populous cities of Japan of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
Chubu
Chubu region

The is the central region of Honshu, Japan's main island. Chubu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chubu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures: Aichi Prefecture, Fukui Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Toyama Prefecture, Yamanashi...
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 2,475,724 12,582.37 197 16 111 JP-15
??? Oita
Oita, Oita

is the capital cities of Japan of Oita Prefecture located on the island of Kyushu, Japan....
Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 1,221,128 5,804.24 210 12 58 JP-44
??? Okayama
Okayama, Okayama

is the prefectural capital cities of Japan of Okayama Prefecture in the Chugoku region of Japan.The city was founded on June 1,1889. As of March 2007, the city has an estimated population of 698,946 and the density of 884.87 persons per km?....
Chugoku
Chugoku region

The or is the westernmost region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Shimane Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Okayama Prefecture....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 1,950,656 7,008.63 278 18 78 JP-33
??? Naha
Naha, Okinawa

is the capital city of the Prefectures of Japan of Okinawa Prefecture. The modern city was officially founded on May 20, 1921, but prior to that Naha had already been for centuries one of the most important and populous sites in the Ryukyu Islands....
Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 Ryukyu
Islands
Ryukyu Islands

The Ryukyu Islands are part of the . From around 1800 on, they have spelled Luchu, Loo-choo, or Lewchew, from the Chinese Liuqiu. They consist of a chain of Islands of Japan in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit of the East China Sea and stretch southwest from the island of Kyushu to the island of Taiwan....
 1,318,281 2,271.30 580 5 41 JP-47
??? OsakaKansai Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 8,804,806 1,893.18 4,652 5 44 JP-27
??? Saga
Saga, Saga

is the capital of Saga Prefecture, located on the island of Kyushu, Japan.Saga was the capital of Saga Domain in the Edo period, and largest city of former Hizen Province....
Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 876,664 2,439.23 359 8 49 JP-41
??? Saitama
Saitama, Saitama

is the capital and the most populous cities of Japan of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Saitama, Omiya-ku, Saitama, Yono, Saitama and Iwatsuki-ku, Saitama....
Kanto
Kanto region

The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region encompasses seven Prefectures of Japan which overlaps the Greater Tokyo Area: Gunma Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture, and Kanagawa Prefecture....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 6,938,004 3,767.09 1,827 9 90 JP-11
??? Otsu
Otsu, Shiga

is the capital cities of Japan of Shiga Prefecture, Japan.As of February 2007 the city has an estimated population of 329,355 with an age average of 40.7 years and a population density of 880.49 persons per square kilometer....
Kansai Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 1,342,811 4,017.36 334 11 50 JP-25
??? Matsue
Matsue, Shimane

is the capital cities of Japan of Shimane Prefecture in the Chugoku region of Japan.As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 196,093 and the population density of 369.84 persons per km?....
Chugoku
Chugoku region

The or is the westernmost region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Shimane Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Okayama Prefecture....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 761,499 6,707.32 114 12 59 JP-32
??? Shizuoka
Shizuoka, Shizuoka

is the capital cities of Japan of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is a city designated by government ordinance ....
Chubu
Chubu region

The is the central region of Honshu, Japan's main island. Chubu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chubu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures: Aichi Prefecture, Fukui Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Toyama Prefecture, Yamanashi...
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 3,767,427 7,328.61 484 12 74 JP-22
??? Utsunomiya
Utsunomiya, Tochigi

is the Capital and the most populous cities of Japan of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, the city had an estimated population of 505,381 and a population density of 1,212 persons per square kilometer....
Kanto
Kanto region

The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region encompasses seven Prefectures of Japan which overlaps the Greater Tokyo Area: Gunma Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture, and Kanagawa Prefecture....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 2,004,787 6,408.28 313 7 33 JP-09
??? Tokushima
Tokushima, Tokushima

is the capital cities of Japan of Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku island of Japan.In 2003, the city had an estimated population of 267,343 and a population density of 1,398.02 persons per square kilometer....
Shikoku
Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshu and east of Kyushu island. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima ....
 Shikoku
Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshu and east of Kyushu island. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima ....
 823,997 4,145.26 199 10 50 JP-36
??? Shinjuku
Shinjuku, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world , and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo....
Kanto
Kanto region

The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region encompasses seven Prefectures of Japan which overlaps the Greater Tokyo Area: Gunma Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture, and Kanagawa Prefecture....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 12,059,237 2,187.08 5,514 1 39 JP-13
??? Tottori
Tottori, Tottori

is the capital cities of Japan of Tottori Prefecture in the Chugoku region of Japan.As of 2006, the city has an estimated population of 200,974 and a population density of 262.48 persons per km?....
Chugoku
Chugoku region

The or is the westernmost region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Shimane Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Okayama Prefecture....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 613,229 3,507.19 175 6 39 JP-31
??? Toyama
Toyama, Toyama

is the capital cities of Japan of Toyama Prefecture, Japan. It is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan on the island of Honshu, about 200 km north of the city of Nagoya and 300 km northwest of Tokyo....
Chubu
Chubu region

The is the central region of Honshu, Japan's main island. Chubu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chubu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures: Aichi Prefecture, Fukui Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Toyama Prefecture, Yamanashi...
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 1,120,843 4,247.22 264 6 27 JP-16
???? Wakayama
Wakayama, Wakayama

is the capital cities of Japan of Wakayama Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan....
Kansai Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 1,069,839 4,725.55 226 7 50 JP-30
??? Yamagata
Yamagata, Yamagata

Yamagata is the capital cities of Japan of Yamagata Prefecture in Japan.The famed temple of Yamadera lies within the city limits, 15 minutes by train from the center....
Tohoku
Tohoku region

The is a geographical area of Japan. Tohoku is Japanese language for "northeast," and the Tohoku region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 1,244,040 9,323.34 133 9 44 JP-06
??? Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi

is the capital cities of Japan of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is the smallest prefectural capital in Japan.In 2004 the city had an estimated population of 191,195 and a population density of 261.82 persons per square kilometer....
Chugoku
Chugoku region

The or is the westernmost region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Shimane Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Okayama Prefecture....
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 1,528,107 6,110.76 250 11 56 JP-35
??? Kofu
Kofu, Yamanashi

is the capital cities of Japan of Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.As of March 1, 2006, the city now has an estimated population of 201,184. The total area is 212.41km?....
Chubu
Chubu region

The is the central region of Honshu, Japan's main island. Chubu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chubu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures: Aichi Prefecture, Fukui Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Toyama Prefecture, Yamanashi...
 Honshu
Honshu

or Honshu is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait....
 888,170 4,465.37 199 8 64 JP-19

Map


See also

  • Government of Japan
    Government of Japan

    Japan has a national government with legislative, administrative and judicial functions. The nation is divided into prefectures of Japan. The prefectural and municipal assembly members are popularly elected for four-year terms....
  • List of Japanese prefectures by population
    List of Japanese prefectures by population

    National population: 127,708,050....
  • List of Japanese prefectures ranked by area
    List of Japanese prefectures ranked by area

    References # ...
  • List of regions in Japan
  • ISO 3166-2 codes for Japan
  • Kokura Prefecture
    Kokura Prefecture

    The short-lived Kokura Prefecture of Japan was founded separately from Fukuoka prefecture in December 1871 after the Abolition of the han system earlier that year....
    —created from three prefectures in December 1871 and absorbed into Fukuoka prefecture in 1876
  • List of governors of Japan
    List of governors of Japan

    This is a list of the current governors of Japan.References *...


External links