Map of the regions ofJapan as preferred by the English Wikipedia (for other divisions, see#Other regional divisions ). From northeast to southwest:Hokkaidō (red),Tōhoku (yellow),Kantō (green),Chūbu (cyan),Kansai (indigo),Chūgoku (orange),Shikoku (purple), andKyūshū &Okinawa (grey). Japan is often divided intoregions , each containing one or more of the country's47 prefectures at large. Sometimes, they are referred to as "blocs" (ブロック burokku , or "regional blocs" (地域ブロック chiiki burokku as opposed to more granular regional divisions. They are not official administrative units, though they have been used by government officials for statistical and other purposes since 1905. They are widely used in, for example, maps, geography textbooks, and weather reports, and many businesses and institutions use their home regions in their names as well, for exampleKyushu National Museum ,Kinki Nippon Railway ,Chūgoku Bank , andTōhoku University .
One common division groups the prefectures into eight regions. In this arrangement, of the fourmain islands of Japan,Hokkaidō ,Honshu ,Shikoku , andKyūshū , each form their own region, with Kyūshū also including the Satsunan Islands. The largest island,Honshū , is split into five regions.Okinawa Prefecture is usually considered part of Kyūshū, but it is sometimes treated as its own ninth region.
Japan has eight High Courts, but their jurisdictions do not match the typical eight-region geographical division (see#Other regional divisions andJudicial system of Japan for details).
Region Population Area in km2 [ 1] Prefectures contained Hokkaidō 5.1 million[ 2] 83,000 Hokkaidō Tōhoku 8.9 million[ 3] 67,000 Akita ,Aomori ,Fukushima ,Iwate ,Miyagi ,Yamagata Kantō 43.3 million[ 4] 32,000 Chiba ,Gunma ,Ibaraki ,Kanagawa ,Saitama ,Tochigi ,Tōkyō Chūbu 21.4 million[ 5] 67,000 Aichi ,Fukui ,Gifu ,Ishikawa ,Nagano ,Niigata ,Shizuoka ,Toyama ,Yamanashi Kansai (also known as Kinki)22.5 million[ 6] 33,000 Hyōgo ,Kyōto ,Mie ,Nara ,Ōsaka ,Shiga ,Wakayama Chūgoku 7.3 million[ 7] 32,000 Hiroshima ,Okayama ,Shimane ,Tottori ,Yamaguchi Shikoku 3.8 million[ 8] 19,000 Ehime ,Kagawa ,Kōchi ,Tokushima Kyūshū &Okinawa 14.3 million[ 9] 44,000 Fukuoka ,Kagoshima ,Kumamoto ,Miyazaki ,Nagasaki ,Ōita ,Okinawa ,Saga
Regions and islands [ edit ] This is a list of Japan's major islands, traditional regions, and subregions, going from northeast to southwest.[ 10] [ 11] bold .
Other regional divisions [ edit ] In many contexts in Japan (government, media markets, sports, regional business or trade union confederations), regional groupings are used that digress from the above-mentioned common 8-region geographical division. The 8-region model is frequently regarded as a standard on the English Wikipedia and some other English-language publications. Examples of regional divisions used by other particular institutions include:
National Police Agency regional supervisory offices[ 12] Region Prefectures – Hokkaidō (separate liaison office with the National Police Agency) Tōhoku Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima – Tokyo (separate liaison office with the National Police Agency) Kantō Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Niigata, Nagano, Yamanashi, Shizuoka Chūbu Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Gifu, Aichi, Mie Kinki Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, Nara, Wakayama Chūgoku Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi Shikoku Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kōchi Kyūshū Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Ōita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa
NHK broadcasting regions[ 13] Region Prefectures Hokkaidō Hokkaidō Tōhoku Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima Kantō-Kōshin'etsu Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Nagano, Niigata, Yamanashi Tōkai-Hokuriku Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Shizuoka, Gifu, Aichi, Mie Kinki Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, Nara, Wakayama Chūgoku Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi Shikoku Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kōchi Kyūshū Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Ōita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa
MLIT regional development offices[ 14] Region Prefectures (Nagano is split) – Hokkaidō (originally had aseparate, cabinet-level development agency , now a separate MLIT department) Tōhoku Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima Kantō Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Nagano (northern part) Hokuriku Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa Chūbu Nagano (southern part), Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie Kinki Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, Nara, Wakayama, Fukui Chūgoku Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi Shikoku Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kōchi Kyūshū Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Ōita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima – Okinawa (originally had aseparate, cabinet-level development agency , now a department in theCabinet Office )
JMA weather forecast regions[ 15] Region Prefectures Hokkaidō Hokkaidō Tōhoku Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima Kantō-Kōshin Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Nagano Hokuriku Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui Tōkai Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie Kinki Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, Nara, Wakayama Chūgoku Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima Shikoku Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kōchi Northern Kyūshū Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Ōita Southern Kyūshū-Amami Miyazaki, Kagoshima Okinawa Okinawa
Regional proportional representation constituencies for the lower house of the Japanese parliament Proportional constituencies ("blocks") for elections to the House of Representatives Constituency Prefectures Hokkaidō Hokkaidō Tōhoku Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima Northern Kantō Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama Tokyo Tokyo Southern Kantō Chiba, Kanagawa, Yamanashi Hokuriku-Shin'etsu Niigata, Nagano, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui Tōkai Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie Kinki Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, Nara, Wakayama Chūgoku Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi Shikoku Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kōchi Kyūshū Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Ōita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa
High Court jurisdictionsHigh court Prefectures Sapporo Hokkaidō Sendai Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima Tokyo Tokyo, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Niigata, Yamanashi, Nagano, Shizuoka Nagoya Aichi, Mie, Gifu, Ishikawa, Fukui, Toyama Osaka Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, Nara, Wakayama Hiroshima Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi Takamatsu Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kōchi Fukuoka Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Ōita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa
Regional qualifiers for the "spring Kōshien"Japanese High School Baseball Invitational Tournament ) Region Prefectures Hokkaidō Hokkaidō Tōhoku Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima Kantō Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Yamanashi Tokyo Tokyo Tōkai Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie Hoku-Shin'etsu Niigata, Nagano, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui Kinki Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, Nara, Wakayama Chūgoku Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi Shikoku Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kōchi Kyūshū Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Ōita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa
Football regions of Japan Regional football/soccer leagues Region Prefectures Hokkaidō Hokkaidō Tōhoku North: Aomori, Iwate, Akita Kantō Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi Tōkai Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie Hoku-Shin'etsu Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Nagano Kansai Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, Nara, Wakayama Chūgoku Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi Shikoku Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kōchi Kyūshū Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Ōita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa
Regions used in theBank of Japan regional economical report ("Sakura report")[ 16] Region Prefectures Hokkaidō Hokkaidō Tōhoku Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima Hokuriku Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui Kantō-Kōshin'etsu Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Niigata, Yamanashi, Nagano Tōkai Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie Kinki Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, Nara, Wakayama Chūgoku Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi Shikoku Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kōchi Kyūshū-Okinawa Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Ōita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa
Regions as administrative units [ edit ] 1945 seat of the Chūgoku governorate-general inHiroshima City , previously and today a building used byHiroshima University In the later stages of World War II, in preparation for an Allied invation of the home islands, regions served as administrative units between the Home Ministry and the governments of prefectures from 1943. Initially, nine "regional administrative joint conferences" (地方行政協議会,chihō gyōsei kyō-kaigi ) were set up, each comprising several prefectural governments under the leadership of one prefectural government. In 1945, they were consolidated into eight centralized "regional governorates-general" (地方総監府,chihō sōkan-fu ) with authority of command over the subordinate prefectural governments. The regions corresponded territorially to the military districts (軍管区,gunkan-ku ) as used by theImperial Army in 1945. They were namely:
Region(-chihō) Prefectures(-to/-chō/-fu/-ken) Seat of the governorate-general Regional governor-general(chihō sōkan) (initially in June 1945) Corresponding Imperial Army(gunkan-ku) Hokkai Karafuto, Hokkaidō Sapporo City Kumagai Ken'ichi (concurrent governor of Hokkaidō(-chō)) Hokubu (Northern) Tōhoku Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima Sendai City Maruyama Tsurukichi (previous governor of Miyagi) Tōhoku (Northeastern) Kantō-Shin'etsu Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Niigata, Nagano Tokyo Nishio Toshizō (concurrent governor of Tokyo) Tōbu (Eastern) Tōkai-Hokuriku Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie, Toyama, Ishikawa Nagoya City Obata Tadayoshi (previous governor of Aichi) Tōkai Kinki Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, Nara, Wakayama, Fukui Osaka City Yasui Eiji (previous governor of Osaka) Chūbu (Central) Chūgoku Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi Hiroshima City Ōtsuka Isei (previous governor of Hiroshima) Chūgoku Shikoku Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kōchi Takamatsu City Kimura Masayoshi (concurrent governor of Kagawa) Shikoku Kyūshū Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Ōita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa Fukuoka City Totsuka Kuichirō (previous governor of Fukuoka) Seibu (Western)
After capitulation, the governorates-general were immediately dissolved by GHQ/SCAP and the (in the Empire: very limited) local autonomy of prefectural governments and their elected assemblies restored to be eventually substantially expanded by the Constitution and the Local Autonomy Law in 1947.
^ Japan's Regional Megamarkets - Semantic Scholar (PDF)^ What special characteristics does Hokkaido have? from Kids Web Japan^ What special characteristics does the Tohoku region have? from Kids Web Japan^ What special characteristics does the Kanto region have? from Kids Web Japan^ What special characteristics does the Chubu region have? from Kids Web Japan^ What special characteristics does the Kinki region have? from Kids Web Japan^ What special characteristics does the Chugoku region have? from Kids Web Japan^ What special characteristics does the Shikoku region have? from Kids Web Japan^ What special characteristics does the Kyushu-Okinawa region have? from Kids Web Japan^ Regions of Japan on japan-guide.com ^ Regions of Japan on web-japan.org ^ NPA:管区警察局の活動 , retrieved September 24, 2021. ^ NHK:全国のNHK Archived 2022-06-13 at theWayback Machine , retrieved September 24, 2021. ^ MLIT:地方整備局 , retrieved September 24, 2021. ^ JMA:天気予報等で用いる用語>地域名 , retrieved September 24, 2021. ^ BoJ:地域経済報告 ── さくらレポート ── （2021年7月） , the definition of regions is in the table of contents before p. 1 (Summary in English translation , the definition of regions is in the appendix), retrieved September 24, 2021. Regions of Japan at Wikimedia Commons
