Prefectures of Japan: description, history, list and features

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

Japan is an amazing and unusual country with ancient traditions. However, the administrative-territorial division of the country is carried out in general according to the ancient Roman system of prefectures. But the Japanese also filled this system with their own content, so studying the territorial structure of Japan when getting acquainted with the peculiarities of the state is of particular interest.

Administrative divisions of Japan

The structure of the state harmoniously combines tradition and innovation. The system of traditional ideas of Shintoism and Buddhism led to the fact that in the Land of the Rising Sun great importance is given to hierarchy. Any decision goes through certain levels, each of which complements and enriches it. Japan is characterized by both submission to the elder - in terms of status and age - and respect for the sovereign opinion and personal space of a person. This became the basis for the allocation of territorial units in the country. At the end of the 19th century, the country experiencedadministrative reforms that retained the old form but made improvements to it. This is how the prefectures of Japan, or todofuken, appeared. At first there were about 300 of them, then there was a reduction to 72, and in 1888 their current number was determined - 47. In turn, prefectures can be divided into counties and districts. They are also included in larger formations of the regions, there are only 8 of them in Japan. Today, the rapid growth of some cities again calls for a reform of the territorial division of the country, but they are still in the project.

Types of prefectures

Historically, the country has developed four types of territorial administration:

- something. The Tokyo metropolitan area is separated into a separate administrative unit;

- ken. These are the prefectures themselves, which provide for a greater degree of autonomy from the central government, there are 43 of them in the country;

- before. This is a special territory with its own rights and characteristics - Hokkaido;

- fu. These are two cities that have the status of a separate district: Kyoto and Osaka.

In turn, smaller parts are allocated within these large territories. Each administrative unit is headed by its own governor, he has quite a lot of rights to manage his part of the country. The prefectures of Japan are in close interaction with the center, but they are not completely subordinate to it. At the same time, all positions of local self-government, including its head, are elected. The purpose of the territorial policy is to prevent conflict situations.

Full list

Eight large regions unite all the prefectures of Japan. The list of administrative units looks like this:

- Hokkaido is a special prefecture divided into 14 districts;

- Kyushu region includes prefectures: Miyazaki, Okinawa, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Saga, Oita, Fukuoka;

- Tohoku combines Fukushima, Aomori, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Iwate;

- Shikoku includes Tokushima, Kagawa, Kochi, Ehime prefectures;

- The Kanto region consists of the prefectures of Chiba, Tochigi, Saitama, Ibaraki, Gunma, Tokyo;

- Chugoku unites Yamaguchi, Shimane, Tottori, Okayama, Hiroshima;

- Kinki region consists of Wakayama, Hyogo, Mie, Nara, Kyoto, Osaka, Shiga prefectures;

- Chubu includes the territorial units of Yamanashi, Gifu, Nagano, Ishikawa, Niigata, Toyama, Fukui, Shizuoka, Aichi.

Territorial disputes

If you look at the Japanese version of the world map, you can see that it has a number of inconsistencies with maps created in other countries. This is due to the fact that Japan considers some territories that officially belong to other states to be its own. Territorial disputes exist between the Land of the Rising Sun, China, Korea and Russia. Thus, part of the islands of the Kuril ridge are, according to the Japanese, part of the Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido. The dispute arose as a result of the fact that following the results of the Second World War in 1946, these islands became part of the Soviet Union. Before that, the Kuriles and Sakhalin were at timesthe property of Russia, sometimes Japan. Historically, for the first time these lands were inhabited by the Japanese.

Prefectural Flags

The prefectures of Japan emphasize their independence and uniqueness, including the presence of their own flag. Japanese culture attaches great importance to coats of arms and flags: they not only serve as a means of identifying a territory, but also convey a certain key message that describes the special characteristics of the region. In the country, almost every village has its own flag, to say nothing of the prefectures. The banners are decorated with pictograms with a deep meaning, it is not always clear to a foreigner, but is well read by the inhabitants of the country. Looking at the flags, one can see geometric and stylized images that are encrypted messages. For example, the city and prefecture in Japan, Aomori, adorned their flag with a stylized, hard-to-read European symbol, the “Crown of Honshu.” This is a simplified depiction of the outlines of the three parts that make up the land of the region. The background of the flag is white, which means the vastness of the prefecture, and the green color of the figure symbolizes the hope for the development and prosperity of these lands. And Tottori Prefecture (Japan) decorated its flag with a white hiragana "to" sign, resembling a white bird in flight. This image means freedom, development and peace of the prefecture for the people of the region.

Coins of prefectures

Since 2008, the Mint has begun issuing “Japan Prefecture” coins, which are also designed to emphasize the uniqueness of each region. While not all prefectures have their owncoin, this program stretched over several years. But the issued banknotes impress with their beauty and thoughtfulness: the most important symbols of the territory are chosen for the image. For example, a coin from Shiga Prefecture has an outline of Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. Also on the reverse you can see the image of a small grebe bird, which lives on the lake. On the coins of Okinawa, Miyazaki and Kanagawa prefectures, warriors are depicted in typical outfits for this region. The main architectural sights of the territory were chosen as a background for human figures.

Special Territory

Among all regions of the country, Hokkaido prefecture is the most different. Japan finally annexed this territory to its lands only in 1869 as a result of colonization. Until that time, very ancient settlements existed here. The Jomon culture began to form as early as the 6th millennium BC. Then it was transformed into the Satsumon culture, and in the 13th century AD it became the source for the emergence of the unique culture of the Ainu. This nation experienced the constant encroachment of the Japanese on their lands, the relationship between the two cultures was an alternation of wars and peaceful trade. But at the end of the 19th century, the island was finally colonized by the Japanese. But since those times, a special atmosphere has been preserved here, which is also supported by the special rights of this territorial unit. It is headed by the governor, and not the prefect, as in other lands, Hokkaido has more autonomy and rights compared to otherprefectures. The main city of the region is Sapporo. Hokkaido is the northernmost and largest prefecture in Japan. The country believes that part of the Kuril Islands should belong to this prefecture. The blue flag of Hokkaido prefecture is decorated with a white seven-pointed star with red lines in the middle. In some ways, this sign resembles a snowflake and symbolizes hope and development. Blue for the Japanese means the sea and sky of northern Hokkaido, white means light and snow, and red means the life-affirming energy of people.

Most south

The opposite of Hokkaido is Japan's southernmost prefecture, Okinawa. This territory, like part of Hokkaido, is the subject of a dispute between Japan and Taiwan. The main city of the region is Naha. Human settlements have been here since the Paleolithic. The islands of this prefecture became part of Japan only in 1972, thanks to an agreement between the Land of the Rising Sun and the USA.

The smallest prefecture

Kagawa is the smallest prefecture in terms of area, it is only about 1800 square meters. km. The main attraction of the region is the mountains, which is also marked by the image on the flag. Despite its small size, the prefecture is rich in sights. In addition, the main volume of s alt that meets the needs of the whole country is mined here.