This is a list of Japanese prefectures

Prefectures of Japan

The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...

 by population.

For details of administrative divisions of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, 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...

, see Prefectures of Japan

Prefectures of Japan

The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...

.

Prefectures of Japan ranked by population as of October 1, 2008

Figures here are according to the official estimates of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, 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...

 as of October 1, 2008, except for the census population held on October 1, 2005. Population is given according to the de jure population concept for enumerating the people. That is, a person was enumerated at the place where he or she usually lived, and was counted as the population of the area including the place. Ranks are given by the estimated population as of October 1, 2008.

Rank	Prefectures	Japanese	Estimated Total Population	Estimated Male Population	Estimated Female Population	Annual Change (Oct 1, 2007 to Sep 30, 2008)	Estimated Population of Japanese nationality	Latest Census Population (Oct 1, 2005)	Estimated Area (km²)	Population Density (/km²)	Capital
1	Tōkyō-to Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...		12,838,435	6,392,907	6,445,528	80,064	12,551,986	12,576,601	2,187.65	5,868.60	Shinjuku-ku, Tōkyō-to 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.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population...
2	Kanagawa-ken Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...		8,917,182	4,499,721	4,417,461	37,120	8,784,308	8,791,597	2,415.84	3,691.13	Yokohama-shi Yokohama is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
3	Ōsaka-fu Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...		8,806,016	4,263,263	4,542,753	−5,637	8,639,152	8,817,166	1,897.85	4,640.00	Ōsaka-shi
4	Aichi-ken Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...		7,403,409	3,723,088	3,680,321	43,514	7,202,589	7,254,704	5,164.57	1,433.50	Nagoya-shi Nagoya, Aichi is the third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area in Japan.Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Moji...
5	Saitama-ken Saitama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of 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 a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...		7,112,636	3,579,707	3,532,929	22,304	7,019,489	7,054,243	3,797.25	1,873.10	Saitama-shi Saitama, Saitama ' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...
6	Chiba-ken Chiba Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...		6,122,113	3,058,269	3,063,844	23,898	6,039,211	6,056,462	5,156.60	1,187.24	Chiba-shi Chiba, Chiba is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is located approximately 40 km east of the center of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. Chiba City became a government designated city in 1992. Its population as of 2008 is approximately 960,000....
7	Hyōgo-ken Hyogo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...		5,586,033	2,673,769	2,912,264	−2,704	5,504,410	5,590,601	8,395.84	665.33	Kōbe-shi
8	Hokkaidō Hokkaido , formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...		5,535,486	2,615,966	2,919,520	−34,963	5,517,450	5,627,737	83,456.58	70.59	Sapporo-shi Sapporo, Hokkaido is the fourth-largest city in Japan by population, and the largest city on the island of Hokkaido. It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an ordinance-designated city of Japan....
9	Fukuoka-ken Fukuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....		5,054,255	2,391,694	2,662,561	−1,595	5,012,983	5,049,908	4,976.97	1,015.53	Fukuoka-shi Fukuoka, Fukuoka is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
10	Shizuoka-ken Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...		3,799,930	1,874,530	1,925,400	−680	3,712,339	3,792,377	7,780.33	488.40	Shizuoka-shi Shizuoka, Shizuoka is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in terms of both population and area. It became one of Japan's 19 "designated cities" in 2005.-Geography:...
11	Ibaraki-ken Ibaraki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan, located in the Kantō region on the main island of Honshu. The capital is Mito.-History:Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province...		2,963,990	1,474,555	1,489,435	−4,751	2,922,545	2,975,167	6,095.69	486.24	Mito-shi 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 km², giving a population density of 1,212.91 persons per km²...
12	Hiroshima-ken Hiroshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...		2,868,756	1,386,641	1,482,115	−4,594	2,835,743	2,876,642	8,479.05	338.33	Hiroshima-shi
13	Kyōto-fu Kyoto Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Kyoto.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Kyoto prefecture was known as Yamashiro....		2,628,864	1,261,862	1,367,002	−6,464	2,586,798	2,647,660	4,613.01	569.88	Kyōto-shi
14	Niigata-ken Niigata Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...		2,390,976	1,155,734	1,235,242	−13,818	2,380,083	2,431,459	12,583.48	190.01	Niigata-shi Niigata, Niigata is the capital and the most populous city 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....
15	Miyagi-ken Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai.- History :Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the...		2,340,167	1,134,777	1,205,390	−7,204	2,328,861	2,360,218	7,285.75	321.20	Sendai-shi Sendai, Miyagi is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku Region. In 2005, the city had a population of one million, and was one of Japan's 19 designated cities...
16	Nagano-ken Nagano Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...		2,170,691	1,055,353	1,115,338	−9,723	2,135,497	2,196,114	13,562.23	160.05	Nagano-shi Nagano, Nagano , the capital city 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 Honshū.As of April 1, 2011 the city has a population of 387,146...
17	Gifu-ken Gifu Prefecture is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of 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 Nakasendō...		2,100,375	1,017,342	1,083,033	−3,567	2,052,794	2,107,226	10,621.17	197.75	Gifu-shi Gifu, Gifu is a city 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. During the Sengoku period, various warlords, including Oda Nobunaga, used...
18	Fukushima-ken Fukushima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....		2,052,495	996,203	1,056,292	−14,149	2,042,504	2,091,319	13,782.75	148.92	Fukushima-shi Fukushima, Fukushima is the capital city of Fukushima Prefecture in the Tōhoku Region of Japan. As of May 2011 the city has an estimated population of 290,064 and an area of 746.43 km².It lies about 250 km north of Tokyo and 80 km south of Sendai.-History:...
19	Gunma-ken Gunma Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the northwest corner of the Kantō region on Honshu island. Its capital is Maebashi.- History :The remains of a Paleolithic man were found at Iwajuku, Gunma Prefecture, in the early 20th century and there is a public museum there.Japan was without horses until...		2,012,275	990,473	1,021,802	−3,898	1,974,773	2,024,135	6,363.16	316.24	Maebashi-shi Maebashi, Gunma is the capital city of Gunma Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on April 1, 1892, by the samurai Makuba Kawai.On December 5, 2004 the town of Ōgo, and the villages of Kasukawa and Miyagi, all from Seta District, were merged into Maebashi....
20	Tochigi-ken Tochigi Prefecture is a prefecture located in the Kantō region on the island of Honshū, Japan. The capital is the city of Utsunomiya.Nikkō, whose ancient Shintō shrines and Buddhist temples UNESCO has recognized by naming them a World Heritage Site, is in this prefecture...		2,011,276	1,000,072	1,011,204	−2,479	1,981,300	2,016,631	6,408.28	313.86	Utsunomiya-shi Utsunomiya, Tochigi is the capital and most populous city of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. In October 2010 the city had an estimated population of 510,416 and a population density of 1,224.49 people per square kilometer. The total area is 416.84 km². had a population of 888,005 in the 2000 Census...
21	Okayama-ken Okayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Okayama.- History :During the Meiji Restoration, the area of Okayama Prefecture was known as Bitchū Province, Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province.- Geography :...		1,948,196	934,307	1,013,889	−4,328	1,929,759	1,957,264	7,113.21	273.88	Okayama-shi Okayama, Okayama is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan.The city was founded on June 1, 1889. As of August 2010, the city has an estimated population of 705,224 and a population density of 893 persons per km². The total area is 789.88 km²....
22	Mie-ken Mie Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga Province....		1,875,464	913,062	962,402	−536	1,828,020	1,866,963	5,777.19	324.63	Tsu-shi Tsu, Mie is the capital of Mie Prefecture, Japan. The city of Tsu is located on Ise Bay, east of the city. Tsu is bounded to the north by Suzuka and Kameyama; to the west by Iga, Nabari, and Nara Prefecture; and to the south by Matsuzaka city.-History:...
23	Kumamoto-ken Kumamoto Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.- History :Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system...		1,820,942	856,157	964,785	−6,996	1,813,335	1,842,233	7,405.80	245.88	Kumamoto-shi Kumamoto, Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Greater Kumamoto has a population of 1,460,000, as of the 2000 census...
24	Kagoshima-ken Kagoshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...		1,717,330	800,413	916,917	−13,092	1,712,865	1,753,179	9,188.67	186.90	Kagoshima-shi Kagoshima, Kagoshima is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture at the southwestern tip of the Kyūshū island of Japan, and the largest city in the prefecture by some margin...
25	Yamaguchi-ken Yamaguchi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...		1,463,077	688,839	774,238	−10,529	1,451,524	1,492,606	6,113.81	239.31	Yamaguchi-shi Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi is the capital city of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.As of February 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 198,971 and a population density of 194.44 persons per km²...
26	Ehime-ken Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan. The capital is Matsuyama.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, Ehime prefecture was known as Iyo Province...		1,443,927	679,350	764,577	−8,049	1,436,439	1,467,815	5,677.73	254.31	Matsuyama-shi Matsuyama, Ehime is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the Shikoku island of Japan. It is located on the northeastern portion of the Dōgo Plain. Its name means "pine mountain." The city was founded on December 15, 1889....
27	Nagasaki-ken Nagasaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. The capital is the city of Nagasaki.- History :Nagasaki Prefecture was created by merging of the western half of the former province of Hizen with the island provinces of Tsushima and Iki...		1,440,207	671,277	768,930	−13,250	1,433,899	1,478,632	4,104.48	350.89	Nagasaki-shi
28	Nara-ken Nara Prefecture is a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.-History:The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....		1,403,686	665,675	738,011	−6,363	1,395,121	1,421,310	3,691.09	380.29	Nara-shi Nara, Nara is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
29	Shiga-ken Shiga Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan, which forms part of the Kansai region on Honshu Island. The capital is the city of Ōtsu.- History :Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established...		1,402,032	693,740	708,292	6,024	1,374,518	1,380,361	4,017.36	348.99	Ōtsu-shi Otsu, Shiga is the capital city of Shiga, Japan. The city was founded on October 1, 1898. As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 338,629 with an average age of 40.7 years and a population density of 905.28 persons per km²...
30	Aomori-ken Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....		1,391,834	654,249	737,585	−15,094	1,388,386	1,436,657	9,607.11	144.88	Aomori-shi Aomori, Aomori is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 302,068 and a density of 366 persons per km². Its total area was 824.52 km².- History :...
31	Okinawa-ken Okinawa Prefecture is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...		1,375,993	673,835	702,158	2,821	1,368,613	1,361,594	2,275.91	604.59	Naha-shi Naha, Okinawa is the capital city of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.Naha is a coastal city located on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands...
32	Iwate-ken Iwate Prefecture is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...		1,351,890	645,067	706,823	−12,134	1,346,660	1,385,041	15,278.86	88.48	Morioka-shi Morioka, Iwate is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture, Japan.As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 300,740 and a population density of 588.11 persons per km². The total area is 489.15 km²....
33	Ōita-ken Oita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan on Kyūshū Island. The prefectural capital is the city of Ōita.- History :Around the 6th century Kyushu consisted of four regions: Tsukushi-no-kuni 筑紫国, Hi-no-kuni 肥国, and Toyo no kuni...		1,200,188	565,660	634,528	−2,867	1,192,098	1,209,571	6,339.54	189.32	Ōita-shi Oita, Oita is the capital city of Ōita Prefecture located on the island of Kyushu, Japan.- Demographics and geography :Ōita is the most populous city in Ōita Prefecture...
34	Yamagata-ken Yamagata Prefecture -Fruit:Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.- Demographics :...		1,188,229	570,187	618,042	−10,139	1,181,996	1,216,181	9,323.46	127.45	Yamagata-shi Yamagata, Yamagata is the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture in Japan.As of July 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 253,951 with 97,457 households and a population density of 665.94 persons per km². The total area is 381.34 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1889.-Culture:The , one of Tōhoku's...
35	Ishikawa-ken Ishikawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is Kanazawa.- History :Ishikawa was formed from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province.- Geography :Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast...		1,167,892	563,590	604,302	−2,071	1,158,070	1,174,026	4,185.54	279.03	Kanazawa-shi Kanazawa, Ishikawa is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.-Geography, climate, and population:Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467.77 km².Kanazawa's...
36	Miyazaki-ken Miyazaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Miyazaki.- History :Historically, after the Meiji Restoration, Hyūga Province was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture....		1,136,191	533,022	603,169	−6,465	1,133,156	1,153,042	7,734.80	146.89	Miyazaki-shi Miyazaki, Miyazaki is the capital city of Miyazaki Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. Located on the coast and perforated by several rivers, Miyazaki City enjoys scenic views of both ocean and nearby, verdant mountains...
37	Akita-ken Akita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....		1,107,828	520,674	587,154	−12,818	1,104,635	1,145,501	11,612.28	95.40	Akita-shi Akita, Akita is the capital city of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.As of June 11, 2005, with the merger of the former Kawabe District , the city has an estimated population of 323,310 and density of...
38	Toyama-ken Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of 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....		1,101,342	530,661	570,681	−4,362	1,087,555	1,111,729	4,247.55	259.29	Toyama-shi Toyama, Toyama is the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, about 200 km north of the city of Nagoya and 300 km northwest of Tokyo....
39	Wakayama-ken Wakayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Wakayama.- History :Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.- 1953 Wakayama Prefecture flood disaster :...		1,011,556	475,063	536,493	−7,873	1,007,263	1,035,969	4,726.29	214.03	Wakayama-shi Wakayama, Wakayama is the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan.-Background:Wakayama occupies 4% of the land area and has 40% of Wakayama prefecture's population. The city was founded on April 1, 1889....
40	Kagawa-ken Kagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is Takamatsu.- History :Kagawa was formerly known as Sanuki Province.For a brief period between August 1876 and December 1888, Kagawa was made a part of Ehime Prefecture.-Battle of Yashima:...		1,002,514	481,207	521,307	−3,189	995,796	1,012,400	1,876.51	534.24	Takamatsu-shi Takamatsu, Kagawa is a city 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. It is a port city located on the Seto Inland Sea, and is the closest port to Honshu from Shikoku island...
41	Yamanashi-ken Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...		870,694	425,895	444,799	−6,119	856,923	884,515	4,465.37	194.99	Kōfu-shi Kofu, Yamanashi is the capital city of Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the city had a estimate population of 197,540, with 85,794 households. The total area is 212.41 km².-History:Kōfu's name means "capital of Kai Province"...
42	Saga-ken Saga Prefecture is located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita...		855,832	402,297	453,535	−3,455	852,304	866,369	2,439.60	350.81	Saga-shi Saga, Saga is the capital of Saga Prefecture, located on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.Saga was the capital of Saga Domain in the Edo period, and largest city of former Hizen Province....
43	Fukui-ken Fukui Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Fukui.- Prehistory :The Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry, on the Sugiyama River within the city limits of Katsuyama, has yielded the Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis and Fukuisaurus tetoriensis as well as an unnamed...		812,395	392,977	419,418	−3,551	800,774	821,592	4,189.54	193.91	Fukui-shi Fukui, Fukui is the capital of Fukui Prefecture, Japan. The city is located in the north-central part of the prefecture on the coast of the Sea of Japan.-Demographics:...
44	Tokushima-ken Tokushima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is the city of Tokushima.- Tokushima Prefecture and Myodo Prefecture :Long ago, Tokushima City belonged to a region known as Myōdō-gun...		794,128	376,716	417,412	−5,788	790,341	809,950	4,146.55	191.52	Tokushima-shi Tokushima, Tokushima is the capital city of Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku island in Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the city had an estimated population of 263,372, with 114,325 households, and a population density of 1,377.25 persons per km². Its total area is 191.23 km²....
45	Kōchi-ken Kochi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...		773,436	362,180	411,256	−8,149	770,852	796,292	7,105.13	108.86	Kōchi-shi Kochi, Kochi is the capital city of Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku island of Japan.Kōchi is the main city of the prefecture with over 40% of its population. As of May 31, 2008, the city had an estimated population of 340,515 and a density of...
46	Shimane-ken Shimane Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is Matsue. It is the second least populous prefecture in Japan, after its eastern neighbor Tottori. The prefecture has an area elongated from east to west facing the Chūgoku Mountain Range on the south side and to...		724,918	345,182	379,736	−6,126	720,115	742,223	6,707.86	108.07	Matsue-shi Matsue, Shimane is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan.As of August, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 207,000, following its most recent merging with Higashi-Izumo...
47	Tottori-ken Tottori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region. The capital is the city of Tottori. It is the least populous prefecture in Japan.- History :Before the Meiji Restoration, Tottori encompassed the old provinces of Hōki and Inaba...		595,192	283,796	311,396	−4,697	591,314	607,012	3,507.26	169.70	Tottori-shi Tottori, Tottori is the capital city of Tottori Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan.As of 2006, the city has an estimated population of 200,974 and a density of 262.48 persons per km². The total area is 765.66 km²....
|align=left|Japan		127,692,273	62,251,004	65,441,269	−78,521	125,947,146	127,767,994	377,943.57	342.42	Tōkyō

Historical demography of prefectures of Japan

Population before 1920 was calculated based on information of , while door-to-door censuses have been held every 5 years as of October 1 since 1920 in Japan except for the year of 1945.

As for prefectural population before 1945, prefectures that constituted are only given. or Southern Sakhalin

Sakhalin

Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...

 was officially incorporated into Japan Proper since March 26, 1943 until the end of the World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, while Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

, Kwantung Leased Territory

Kwantung Leased Territory

The Kwantung Leased Territory was a territory in the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula in Inner Manchuria that existed from 1898 to 1945. It was one of the numerous territorial concessions that the Empire of China was compelled to award to foreign countries at the end of the 19th century...

, Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

 and South Pacific Mandate

South Pacific Mandate

The was the Japanese League of Nations mandate consisting of several groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean which came under the administration of Japan after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I.-Early history:Under the terms of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, after the start of World...

 were treated as . At the end of war, Japan lost possessions of Southern Sakhalin

Sakhalin

Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...

 (Karafuto-fu), Kuril Islands

Kuril Islands

The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...

 (part of Hokkaidō), Ogasawra Islands (part of Tōkyō-to), Amami

Amami Islands

The are a group of islands that is part of the Satsunan Islands, which are then part of the Nansei Islands. The islands are part of Kagoshima Prefecture, in the Kyūshū region of Japan...

 and Tokara Islands

Tokara Islands

The Tokara Islands is a group of islands in part of the Satsunan Islands, which is part of the Nansei Islands. The whole island group belongs to Toshima Village, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan....

 (part of Kagoshima-ken) and Ryukyu Islands

Ryukyu Islands

The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...

 (Okinawa-ken). For the population of the colonies of the former Empire of Japan

Empire of Japan

The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...

, see Demographics of Imperial Japan.

1948 to 2000

Population in the following table is given according to the de jure population concept for enumerating the people.

• Source: Census of Japan (as of October 1 for the years of 2000, 1995, 1990, 1985, 1980, 1975, 1970, 1965, 1960, 1955 and 1950),

De jure Population Census of Japan (as of August 1, 1948),

Census of Ryūkyū (as of October 1, 1970, December 1, 1960 and December 1, 1950),

Extraordinary Census of Ryūkyū (as of October 1, 1965 and December 1, 1955).

Prefectures	Oct 1, 2000	Oct 1, 1995	Oct 1, 1990	Oct 1, 1985	Oct 1, 1980	Oct 1, 1975	Oct 1, 1970	Oct 1, 1965	Oct 1, 1960	Oct 1, 1955	Oct 1, 1950	Aug 1, 1948
Hokkaidō	5,683,062	5,692,321	5,643,647	5,679,439	5,575,989	5,338,206	5,184,287	5,171,800	5,039,206	4,773,087	4,295,567	4,021,050
Aomori-ken	1,475,728	1,481,663	1,482,873	1,524,448	1,523,907	1,468,646	1,427,520	1,416,591	1,426,606	1,382,523	1,282,867	1,218,325
Iwate-ken	1,416,180	1,419,505	1,416,928	1,433,611	1,421,927	1,385,563	1,371,383	1,411,118	1,448,517	1,427,097	1,346,728	1,294,203
Miyagi-ken	2,365,320	2,328,739	2,248,558	2,176,295	2,082,320	1,955,267	1,819,223	1,753,126	1,743,195	1,727,065	1,663,442	1,596,307
Akita-ken	1,189,279	1,213,667	1,227,478	1,254,032	1,256,745	1,232,481	1,241,376	1,279,835	1,335,580	1,348,871	1,309,031	1,283,710
Yamagata-ken	1,244,147	1,256,958	1,258,390	1,261,662	1,251,917	1,220,302	1,225,618	1,263,103	1,320,664	1,353,649	1,357,347	1,346,492
Fukushima-ken	2,126,935	2,133,592	2,104,058	2,080,304	2,035,272	1,970,616	1,946,077	1,983,754	2,051,137	2,095,237	2,062,394	2,026,482
Ibaraki-ken	2,985,676	2,955,530	2,845,382	2,725,005	2,558,007	2,342,198	2,143,551	2,056,154	2,047,024	2,064,037	2,039,418	2,044,578
Tochigi-ken	2,004,817	1,984,390	1,935,168	1,866,066	1,792,201	1,698,003	1,580,021	1,521,656	1,513,624	1,547,580	1,550,462	1,557,860
Gunma-ken	2,024,852	2,003,540	1,966,265	1,921,259	1,848,562	1,756,480	1,658,909	1,605,584	1,578,476	1,613,549	1,601,380	1,608,894
Saitama-ken	6,938,006	6,759,311	6,405,319	5,863,678	5,420,480	4,821,340	3,866,472	3,014,983	2,430,871	2,262,623	2,146,445	2,132,221
Chiba-ken	5,926,285	5,797,782	5,555,429	5,148,163	4,735,424	4,149,147	3,366,624	2,701,770	2,306,010	2,205,060	2,139,037	2,140,511
Tōkyō-to	12,064,101	11,773,605	11,855,563	11,829,363	11,618,281	11,673,554	11,408,071	10,869,244	9,683,802	8,037,084	6,277,500	5,417,871
Kanagawa-ken	8,489,974	8,245,900	7,980,391	7,431,974	6,924,348	6,397,748	5,472,247	4,430,743	3,443,176	2,919,497	2,487,665	2,317,551
Niigata-ken	2,475,733	2,488,364	2,474,583	2,478,470	2,451,357	2,391,938	2,360,982	2,398,931	2,442,037	2,473,492	2,460,997	2,435,451
Toyama-ken	1,120,851	1,123,125	1,120,161	1,118,369	1,103,459	1,070,791	1,029,695	1,025,465	1,032,614	1,021,121	1,008,790	998,349
Ishikawa-ken	1,180,977	1,180,068	1,164,628	1,152,325	1,119,304	1,069,872	1,002,420	980,499	973,418	966,187	957,279	941,772
Fukui-ken	828,944	826,996	823,585	817,633	794,354	773,599	744,230	750,557	752,696	754,055	752,374	733,374
Yamanashi-ken	888,172	881,996	852,966	832,832	804,256	783,050	762,029	763,194	782,062	807,044	811,369	815,485
Nagano-ken	2,215,168	2,193,984	2,156,627	2,136,927	2,083,934	2,017,564	1,956,917	1,958,007	1,981,433	2,021,292	2,060,831	2,079,682
Gifu-ken	2,107,700	2,100,315	2,066,569	2,028,536	1,960,107	1,867,978	1,758,954	1,700,365	1,638,399	1,583,605	1,544,538	1,524,812
Shizuoka-ken	3,767,393	3,737,689	3,670,840	3,574,692	3,446,804	3,308,799	3,089,895	2,912,521	2,756,271	2,650,435	2,471,472	2,407,102
Aichi-ken	7,043,300	6,868,336	6,690,603	6,455,172	6,221,638	5,923,569	5,386,163	4,798,653	4,206,313	3,769,209	3,390,585	3,226,116
Mie-ken	1,857,339	1,841,358	1,792,514	1,747,311	1,686,936	1,626,002	1,543,083	1,514,467	1,485,054	1,485,582	1,461,197	1,451,100
Shiga-ken	1,342,832	1,287,005	1,222,411	1,155,844	1,079,898	985,621	889,768	853,385	842,695	853,734	861,180	872,775
Kyōto-fu	2,644,391	2,629,592	2,602,460	2,586,574	2,527,330	2,424,856	2,250,087	2,102,808	1,993,403	1,935,161	1,832,934	1,784,753
Ōsaka-fu	8,805,081	8,797,268	8,734,516	8,668,095	8,473,446	8,278,925	7,620,480	6,657,189	5,504,746	4,618,308	3,857,047	3,515,225
Hyōgo-ken	5,550,574	5,401,877	5,405,040	5,278,050	5,144,892	4,992,140	4,667,928	4,309,944	3,906,487	3,620,947	3,309,935	3,156,888
Nara-ken	1,442,795	1,430,862	1,375,481	1,304,866	1,209,365	1,077,491	930,160	825,965	781,058	776,861	763,883	778,677
Wakayama-ken	1,069,912	1,080,435	1,074,325	1,087,206	1,087,012	1,072,118	1,042,736	1,026,975	1,002,191	1,006,819	982,113	979,982
Tottori-ken	613,289	614,929	615,722	616,024	604,221	581,311	568,777	579,853	599,135	614,259	600,177	592,863
Shimane-ken	761,503	771,441	781,021	794,629	784,795	768,886	773,575	821,620	888,886	929,066	912,551	903,576
Okayama-ken	1,950,828	1,950,750	1,925,877	1,916,906	1,871,023	1,814,305	1,707,026	1,645,135	1,670,454	1,689,800	1,661,099	1,650,285
Hiroshima-ken	2,878,915	2,881,748	2,849,847	2,819,200	2,739,161	2,646,324	2,436,135	2,281,146	2,184,043	2,149,044	2,081,967	2,045,923
Yamaguchi-ken	1,527,964	1,555,543	1,572,616	1,601,627	1,587,079	1,555,218	1,511,448	1,543,573	1,602,207	1,609,839	1,540,882	1,505,532
Tokushima-ken	824,108	832,427	831,598	834,889	825,261	805,166	791,111	815,115	847,274	878,109	878,511	869,290
Kagawa-ken	1,022,890	1,027,006	1,023,412	1,022,569	999,864	961,292	907,897	900,845	918,867	943,823	946,022	934,123
Ehime-ken	1,493,092	1,506,700	1,515,025	1,529,983	1,506,637	1,465,215	1,418,124	1,446,384	1,500,687	1,540,628	1,521,878	1,481,106
Kōchi-ken	813,949	816,704	825,034	839,784	831,275	808,397	786,882	812,714	854,595	882,683	873,874	866,385
Fukuoka-ken	5,015,699	4,933,393	4,811,050	4,719,259	4,553,461	4,292,963	4,027,416	3,964,611	4,006,679	3,859,764	3,530,169	3,312,577
Saga-ken	876,654	884,316	877,851	880,013	865,574	837,674	838,468	871,885	942,874	973,749	945,082	931,336
Nagasaki-ken	1,516,523	1,544,934	1,562,959	1,593,968	1,590,564	1,571,912	1,570,245	1,641,245	1,760,421	1,747,596	1,645,492	1,565,558
Kumamoto-ken	1,859,344	1,859,793	1,840,326	1,837,747	1,790,327	1,715,273	1,700,229	1,770,736	1,856,192	1,895,663	1,827,582	1,786,058
Ōita-ken	1,221,140	1,231,306	1,236,942	1,250,214	1,228,913	1,190,314	1,155,566	1,187,480	1,239,655	1,277,199	1,252,999	1,245,689
Miyazaki-ken	1,170,007	1,175,819	1,168,907	1,175,543	1,151,587	1,085,055	1,051,105	1,080,692	1,134,590	1,139,384	1,091,427	1,052,483
Kagoshima-ken	1,786,194	1,794,224	1,797,824	1,819,270	1,784,623	1,723,902	1,729,150	1,853,541	1,963,104	2,044,112	1,804,118	1,766,514
Okinawa-ken	1,318,220	1,273,440	1,222,398	1,179,097	1,106,559	1,042,572
Japan	126,925,843	125,570,246	123,611,167	121,048,923	117,060,396	111,939,643	103,720,060	98,274,961	93,418,501	89,275,529	83,199,637	80,216,896
Ryūkyū							945,111	934,176	883,122	801,065	914,937
Total	126,925,843	125,570,246	123,611,167	121,048,923	117,060,396	111,939,643	104,665,171	99,209,137	94,301,623	90,076,594	84,114,574	80,216,896

1920 to 1947

Population in the following table is given according to the de facto population concept for enumerating the people.

• Source: Extraordinary Census of Japan (as of October 1, 1947),

Population Census of Japan (as of April 26, 1946, November 1, 1945 and February 22, 1944),

Census of Japan (as of October 1 for the years of 1940, 1935, 1930, 1925 and 1920).

Prefectures	Oct 1, 1947	Apr 26, 1946	Nov 1, 1945	Feb 22, 1944	Oct 1, 1940	Oct 1, 1935	Oct 1, 1930	Oct 1, 1925	Oct 1, 1920
Hokkaidō	3,852,821	3,488,013	3,518,389	3,256,157	3,272,718	3,068,282	2,812,335	2,498,679	2,359,183
Aomori-ken	1,180,245	1,089,232	1,083,250	1,009,104	1,000,509	967,129	879,914	812,977	756,454
Iwate-ken	1,262,743	1,217,154	1,227,789	1,104,049	1,095,793	1,046,111	975,771	900,984	845,540
Miyagi-ken	1,566,831	1,462,100	1,462,254	1,275,862	1,271,238	1,234,801	1,142,784	1,044,036	961,768
Akita-ken	1,257,398	1,195,813	1,211,871	1,048,769	1,052,275	1,037,744	987,706	936,408	898,537
Yamagata-ken	1,335,653	1,294,934	1,326,350	1,083,569	1,119,338	1,116,822	1,080,034	1,027,297	968,925
Fukushima-ken	1,992,460	1,918,746	1,957,356	1,599,392	1,625,521	1,581,563	1,508,150	1,437,596	1,362,750
Ibaraki-ken	2,013,735	1,940,833	1,944,344	1,656,678	1,620,000	1,548,991	1,487,097	1,409,092	1,350,400
Tochigi-ken	1,534,311	1,503,619	1,546,355	1,203,679	1,206,657	1,195,057	1,141,737	1,090,428	1,046,479
Gunma-ken	1,572,787	1,524,635	1,546,081	1,319,517	1,299,027	1,242,453	1,186,080	1,118,858	1,052,610
Saitama-ken	2,100,453	2,028,553	2,047,261	1,647,625	1,608,039	1,528,854	1,459,172	1,394,461	1,319,533
Chiba-ken	2,112,917	2,008,568	1,966,862	1,659,345	1,588,425	1,546,394	1,470,121	1,399,257	1,336,155
Tōkyō-to	5,000,777	4,183,072	3,488,284	7,271,001
Tōkyō-fu Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...					7,354,971	6,369,919	5,408,678	4,485,144	3,699,428
Kanagawa-ken	2,218,120	2,019,943	1,865,667	2,474,354	2,188,974	1,840,005	1,619,606	1,416,792	1,323,390
Niigata-ken	2,418,271	2,326,811	2,389,653	1,994,817	2,064,402	1,995,777	1,933,326	1,849,807	1,776,474
Toyama-ken	979,229	932,669	953,834	819,614	822,569	798,890	778,953	749,243	724,276
Ishikawa-ken	927,743	877,197	887,510	743,672	757,676	768,416	756,835	750,854	747,360
Fukui-ken	726,264	695,703	724,856	621,933	643,904	646,659	618,144	597,899	599,155
Yamanashi-ken	807,251	796,973	839,057	634,897	663,026	646,727	631,042	600,675	583,453
Nagano-ken	2,060,010	2,028,648	2,121,050	1,650,511	1,710,729	1,714,000	1,717,118	1,629,217	1,562,722
Gifu-ken	1,493,644	1,444,000	1,518,649	1,266,008	1,265,024	1,225,799	1,178,405	1,132,557	1,070,407
Shizuoka-ken	2,353,005	2,260,059	2,220,358	2,027,856	2,017,860	1,939,860	1,797,805	1,671,217	1,550,387
Aichi-ken	3,122,902	2,919,085	2,857,851	3,280,206	3,166,592	2,862,701	2,567,413	2,319,494	2,089,762
Mie-ken	1,416,494	1,371,858	1,394,286	1,209,266	1,198,783	1,174,595	1,157,407	1,107,692	1,069,270
Shiga-ken	858,367	831,306	860,911	691,972	703,679	711,436	691,631	662,412	651,050
Kyōto-fu	1,739,084	1,621,998	1,603,796	1,635,528	1,729,993	1,702,508	1,552,832	1,406,382	1,287,147
Ōsaka-fu	3,334,659	2,976,140	2,800,958	4,412,953	4,792,966	4,297,174	3,540,017	3,059,502	2,587,847
Hyōgo-ken	3,057,444	2,826,192	2,821,892	3,224,376	3,221,232	2,923,249	2,646,301	2,454,679	2,301,799
Nara-ken	779,935	744,381	779,685	606,789	620,509	620,471	596,225	583,828	564,607
Wakayama-ken	959,999	933,231	936,006	847,388	865,074	864,087	830,748	787,511	750,411
Tottori-ken	587,606	557,429	563,220	476,284	484,390	490,461	489,266	472,230	454,675
Shimane-ken	894,267	848,995	860,275	729,819	740,940	747,119	739,507	722,402	714,712
Okayama-ken	1,619,622	1,538,621	1,564,626	1,333,300	1,329,358	1,332,647	1,283,962	1,238,447	1,217,698
Hiroshima-ken	2,011,498	1,901,430	1,885,471	1,962,950	1,869,504	1,804,916	1,692,136	1,617,680	1,541,905
Yamaguchi-ken	1,479,244	1,375,496	1,356,491	1,357,368	1,294,242	1,190,542	1,135,637	1,094,544	1,041,013
Tokushima-ken	854,811	829,405	835,763	703,260	718,717	728,748	716,544	689,814	670,212
Kagawa-ken	917,673	872,312	863,700	713,134	730,394	748,656	732,816	700,308	677,852
Ehime-ken	1,453,887	1,380,700	1,361,484	1,186,491	1,178,705	1,164,898	1,142,122	1,096,366	1,046,720
Kōchi-ken	848,337	797,876	775,578	693,053	709,286	714,980	718,152	687,478	670,895
Fukuoka-ken	3,178,134	2,906,644	2,746,855	3,066,472	3,094,132	2,755,804	2,527,119	2,301,668	2,188,249
Saga-ken	917,797	856,692	830,431	705,651	701,517	686,117	691,565	684,831	673,895
Nagasaki-ken	1,531,674	1,417,977	1,318,589	1,490,890	1,370,063	1,296,883	1,233,362	1,163,945	1,136,182
Kumamoto-ken	1,765,726	1,631,976	1,556,490	1,371,005	1,368,179	1,387,054	1,353,993	1,296,086	1,233,233
Ōita-ken	1,233,651	1,149,501	1,124,513	973,707	972,975	980,458	945,771	915,136	860,282
Miyazaki-ken	1,025,689	957,856	913,687	839,556	840,357	824,431	760,467	691,094	651,097
Kagoshima-ken	1,746,305	1,629,760	1,538,466	1,594,009	1,589,467	1,591,466	1,556,690	1,472,193	1,415,582
Okinawa-ken				590,480	574,579	592,494	577,509	557,622	571,572
Karafuto-fu Karafuto Prefecture , commonly called South Sakhalin, was the Japanese administrative division corresponding to Japanese territory on Sakhalin from 1905 to 1945. Through the Treaty of Portsmouth, the portion of Sakhalin south of 50°N became a colony of Japan in 1905...				391,825
Japan Proper	78,101,473	73,114,136	71,998,104	73,456,141	73,114,308	69,254,148	64,450,005	59,736,822	55,963,053

1884 to 1918

Population in the following tables is given according to the A-type de facto population concept for enumerating the people, based on koseki registration systems.

• Source: Imperial Japan Static Population Statistics (as of December 31 for the years of 1918, 1913, 1908 and 1903),

Imperial Japan Population Statistics (as of December 31, 1898),

Imperial Japan Registered Household Tables (as of December 31 for the years of 1897, 1896, 1895, 1894, 1893, 1892, 1891, 1890, 1889, 1888, 1887 and 1886),

Japan Registered Household Tables (as of January 1, 1886),

Japan Household Tables (as of January 1 for the years of 1885 and 1884).

Prefectures	Dec 31, 1918	Dec 31, 1913	Dec 31, 1908	Dec 31, 1903	Dec 31, 1898	Dec 31, 1897	Dec 31, 1896	Dec 31, 1895	Dec 31, 1894	Dec 31, 1893
Hokkaidō	2,177,700	1,817,705	1,459,424	1,089,503	859,534	755,837	698,144	647,883	594,143	537,953
Aomori-ken	797,841	764,485	721,127	665,691	617,531	600,294	589,557	584,459	574,235	567,002
Iwate-ken	869,652	835,415	776,714	748,752	718,737	702,750	694,867	702,915	693,730	690,456
Miyagi-ken	954,571	927,337	893,365	905,883	851,210	833,113	821,257	817,805	802,927	790,079
Akita-ken	977,212	943,628	892,650	837,665	781,129	757,041	748,358	737,922	726,974	720,871
Yamagata-ken	987,053	965,356	913,445	879,564	827,138	811,039	800,831	790,779	781,727	778,280
Fukushima-ken	1,389,609	1,303,501	1,234,281	1,175,224	1,098,002	1,061,013	1,041,294	1,022,780	1,005,381	994,825
Ibaraki-ken	1,407,735	1,328,329	1,259,995	1,200,475	1,149,594	1,115,269	1,101,540	1,085,445	1,069,316	1,058,369
Tochigi-ken	1,103,333	1,044,177	977,437	912,274	829,630	798,946	781,864	767,478	751,874	744,426
Gunma-ken	1,082,141	1,020,853	961,026	904,046	830,223	806,277	797,870	792,575	778,729	766,687
Saitama-ken	1,391,712	1,343,674	1,284,502	1,240,280	1,175,697	1,152,823	1,147,133	1,137,773	1,119,126	1,109,604
Chiba-ken	1,395,746	1,401,587	1,358,445	1,316,547	1,275,376	1,245,874	1,239,660	1,230,385	1,221,631	1,215,742
Tōkyō-fu	3,719,335	3,145,365	3,053,946	2,532,677	2,101,784	1,948,581	1,907,174	1,867,913	1,829,583	1,790,731
Kanagawa-ken	1,323,026	1,228,254	1,178,098	1,051,433	926,884	870,256	852,283	834,624	811,986	799,862
Niigata-ken	1,916,017	1,911,308	1,822,239	1,780,123	1,745,625	1,733,629	1,736,456	1,731,329	1,719,562	1,713,384
Toyama-ken	803,191	805,613	770,665	776,851	766,407	754,799	762,892	764,399	763,450	764,196
Ishikawa-ken	802,835	805,266	780,150	768,155	751,320	749,775	755,734	754,120	752,202	753,871
Fukui-ken	636,847	651,513	630,439	635,881	621,468	612,620	619,273	618,203	613,486	610,550
Yamanashi-ken	633,224	608,969	573,341	540,657	506,497	492,689	489,412	482,349	474,959	471,480
Nagano-ken	1,564,354	1,484,205	1,402,072	1,348,556	1,264,918	1,231,859	1,221,113	1,210,435	1,189,936	1,179,234
Gifu-ken	1,120,482	1,094,961	1,031,156	1,020,765	977,922	960,713	960,502	960,062	949,235	941,523
Shizuoka-ken	1,591,772	1,483,712	1,376,048	1,293,470	1,200,322	1,175,982	1,162,613	1,148,653	1,128,584	1,117,127
Aichi-ken	2,140,077	2,073,224	1,886,739	1,752,042	1,639,611	1,592,733	1,577,320	1,553,447	1,529,349	1,512,420
Mie-ken	1,114,891	1,101,573	1,077,295	1,044,323	996,646	967,406	963,668	960,773	950,038	943,376
Shiga-ken	703,944	697,369	694,370	716,920	694,606	688,343	689,723	690,043	686,715	682,455
Kyōto-fu	1,383,890	1,288,213	1,155,671	1,055,119	997,488	957,260	957,775	951,825	937,383	924,093
Ōsaka-fu	2,888,492	2,461,067	2,144,030	1,823,456	1,600,923	1,503,771	1,456,176	1,422,750	1,400,308	1,380,768
Hyōgo-ken	2,321,053	2,143,791	1,982,983	1,833,957	1,717,634	1,652,366	1,631,241	1,610,829	1,595,428	1,581,525
Nara-ken	594,482	600,711	569,772	558,314	535,619	524,562	521,918	518,025	512,181	508,963
Wakayama-ken	795,400	770,293	723,357	697,766	672,225	656,025	651,021	644,983	636,699	634,494
Tottori-ken	465,281	470,674	441,142	435,959	421,020	412,965	411,585	407,650	404,111	404,321
Shimane-ken	717,530	758,754	738,048	731,295	716,586	709,065	706,028	705,674	700,921	702,301
Okayama-ken	1,285,590	1,261,142	1,223,207	1,188,244	1,135,826	1,108,393	1,100,984	1,094,551	1,083,743	1,084,423
Hiroshima-ken	1,687,926	1,691,699	1,598,755	1,508,713	1,449,622	1,405,674	1,388,193	1,367,820	1,346,327	1,342,484
Yamaguchi-ken	1,099,048	1,089,791	1,044,926	1,015,156	979,596	961,065	952,300	948,234	939,940	938,158
Tokushima-ken	744,088	742,320	720,888	707,545	688,123	676,694	675,570	674,976	670,745	679,046
Kagawa-ken	714,374	759,556	729,563	711,603	694,280	676,681	673,378	674,600	671,638	675,237
Ehime-ken	1,128,039	1,097,989	1,057,547	1,034,962	995,441	971,955	964,079	956,166	945,101	942,632
Kōchi-ken	708,710	693,548	670,910	646,008	622,950	609,005	600,865	598,011	590,875	587,428
Fukuoka-ken	2,112,596	1,926,417	1,721,084	1,571,158	1,425,625	1,357,777	1,333,423	1,313,777	1,285,082	1,275,050
Saga-ken	679,322	693,611	671,531	654,593	618,679	599,679	596,275	587,287	579,844	577,175
Nagasaki-ken	1,230,249	1,134,700	1,103,590	1,015,364	902,455	845,441	832,616	820,338	803,713	795,461
Kumamoto-ken	1,311,325	1,303,405	1,236,361	1,198,486	1,156,270	1,122,068	1,108,802	1,105,932	1,097,299	1,084,165
Ōita-ken	920,994	926,936	880,290	854,982	835,917	819,996	814,064	805,374	796,456	794,050
Miyazaki-ken	651,151	597,472	542,088	501,926	464,510	455,535	450,416	447,126	439,273	436,067
Kagoshima-ken	1,462,497	1,397,387	1,275,465	1,184,143	1,104,220	1,083,745	1,069,752	1,058,171	1,042,962	1,036,863
Okinawa-ken	580,940	534,415	502,309	476,230	460,221	449,112	442,834	439,578	432,078	421,769
Japan Proper	58,087,277	55,131,270	51,742,486	48,542,736	45,403,041	43,978,495	43,499,833	43,048,226	42,430,985	42,060,976

Prefectures	Dec 31, 1892	Dec 31, 1891	Dec 31, 1890	Dec 31, 1889	Dec 31, 1888	Dec 31, 1887	Dec 31, 1886	Jan 1, 1886	Jan 1, 1885	Jan 1, 1884
Hokkaidō	493,024	452,152	414,430	378,188	347,950	326,614	309,121	284,040
Nemuro-ken Former Provinces of Hokkaido In 1869, the island of Hokkaidō, Japan was divided into 11 provinces and 86 districts. The majority of Japan's former provinces were converted into prefectures by the Meiji government between 1870 and 1876....									17,224	13,172
Sapporo-ken Former Provinces of Hokkaido In 1869, the island of Hokkaidō, Japan was divided into 11 provinces and 86 districts. The majority of Japan's former provinces were converted into prefectures by the Meiji government between 1870 and 1876....									109,781	95,744
Hakodate-ken Former Provinces of Hokkaido In 1869, the island of Hokkaidō, Japan was divided into 11 provinces and 86 districts. The majority of Japan's former provinces were converted into prefectures by the Meiji government between 1870 and 1876....									146,335	140,959
Aomori-ken	559,391	551,389	545,026	538,110	530,292	523,226	515,779	499,549	495,182	493,137
Iwate-ken	682,996	676,665	671,956	667,115	656,047	651,989	641,395	628,591	622,426	615,616
Miyagi-ken	776,378	758,013	751,830	760,291	736,628	720,075	688,124	665,345	651,401	644,417
Akita-ken	712,738	703,482	697,298	690,122	682,928	662,917	654,037	644,367	639,259	640,575
Yamagata-ken	773,015	764,701	756,909	750,840	741,896	732,913	722,978	717,252	709,145	705,507
Fukushima-ken	980,310	964,578	952,489	934,449	913,459	893,954	870,822	855,079	861,428	857,833
Ibaraki-ken	1,046,682	1,034,620	1,025,497	1,014,354	998,976	980,803	967,480	948,161	938,377	929,747
Tochigi-ken	731,893	722,510	713,362	699,121	684,341	670,042	655,880	641,420	635,751	627,441
Gunma-ken	759,617	749,030	738,061	722,865	718,215	690,880	667,931	648,329	640,871	636,082
Saitama-ken	1,098,947	1,087,361	1,081,121	1,069,144	1,054,483	1,039,376	1,015,824	1,004,020	994,704	985,889
Chiba-ken	1,205,153	1,196,785	1,191,353	1,184,062	1,172,138	1,159,287	1,141,621	1,125,375	1,118,109	1,113,651
Tōkyō-fu	1,519,583	1,500,026	1,486,671	1,628,551	1,559,517	1,509,757	1,455,647	1,276,506	1,233,843	1,217,542
Kanagawa-ken	1,015,481	992,047	979,756	960,069	947,766	923,178	896,948	865,976	848,682	831,151
Niigata-ken	1,711,968	1,700,427	1,693,727	1,681,985	1,665,378	1,652,736	1,632,257	1,628,650	1,601,796	1,589,304
Toyama-ken	763,105	759,040	754,105	745,248	738,445	726,078	715,384	712,532	706,014	701,622
Ishikawa-ken	753,886	753,445	753,337	751,605	745,110	737,224	728,974	739,141	740,362	735,478
Fukui-ken	607,450	605,014	603,444	602,342	596,704	590,548	585,776	592,331	591,669	583,065
Yamanashi-ken	467,337	463,263	458,534	452,781	445,182	437,475	430,996	425,898	419,444	416,497
Nagano-ken	1,171,819	1,158,936	1,146,071	1,128,690	1,111,946	1,095,998	1,074,069	1,057,494	1,048,065	1,043,341
Gifu-ken	936,219	930,604	932,658	918,456	909,226	899,311	889,739	884,848	880,277	873,020
Shizuoka-ken	1,105,875	1,094,476	1,084,562	1,070,841	1,058,226	1,038,941	1,019,301	1,002,693	991,127	982,512
Aichi-ken	1,497,791	1,483,744	1,473,099	1,456,294	1,444,011	1,429,486	1,404,106	1,386,473	1,373,419	1,370,576
Mie-ken	936,465	931,687	926,376	918,369	909,702	901,698	892,654	883,462	879,353	877,666
Shiga-ken	681,145	678,775	677,502	671,788	667,563	661,323	654,558	648,339	645,519	639,634
Kyōto-fu	914,700	903,189	894,928	887,031	875,084	866,743	849,362	848,761	853,058	851,246
Ōsaka-fu	1,370,232	1,357,358	1,348,317	1,324,216	1,281,150	1,245,695	1,695,196	1,691,243	1,681,935	1,653,157
Hyōgo-ken	1,576,970	1,562,323	1,551,367	1,541,731	1,521,817	1,499,704	1,480,685	1,466,102	1,458,647	1,448,199
Nara-ken	506,304	502,033	500,742	498,871	496,431	489,213
Wakayama-ken	633,771	630,667	630,373	627,332	623,842	621,554	613,862	619,343	618,026	612,505
Tottori-ken	405,725	403,589	401,697	399,060	394,333	390,061	386,083	383,241	381,838	381,300
Shimane-ken	703,256	700,665	697,878	695,782	692,101	688,127	684,257	684,856	682,536	678,813
Okayama-ken	1,082,745	1,076,391	1,072,706	1,068,086	1,062,155	1,051,333	1,043,029	1,045,669	1,040,280	1,037,239
Hiroshima-ken	1,336,145	1,324,538	1,319,507	1,303,457	1,289,109	1,278,537	1,276,461	1,272,876	1,272,105	1,259,148
Yamaguchi-ken	937,036	929,629	927,015	922,497	914,083	911,859	897,557	899,606	900,339	897,296
Tokushima-ken	682,398	682,225	683,994	681,863	676,154	670,963	661,548	656,064	651,731	651,109
Kagawa-ken	675,940	673,004	672,557	668,548	660,484
Ehime-ken	940,009	933,510	926,972	921,708	906,414	1,557,257	1,533,988	1,529,375	1,527,562	1,511,820
Kōchi-ken	584,569	580,330	577,937	575,852	569,874	562,066	557,776	552,513	548,638	546,977
Fukuoka-ken	1,258,058	1,244,912	1,236,015	1,224,551	1,209,295	1,188,877	1,159,294	1,148,328	1,139,986	1,135,496
Saga-ken	569,831	568,925	565,568	560,594	553,423	547,832	534,981	527,244	522,697	519,712
Nagasaki-ken	786,416	776,779	773,095	762,812	752,402	739,825	729,042	719,082	712,631	707,604
Kumamoto-ken	1,075,301	1,064,885	1,057,646	1,052,478	1,042,281	1,030,261	1,020,460	1,003,777	1,000,911	1,001,011
Ōita-ken	792,912	790,063	792,085	788,635	781,554	773,101	762,275	761,476	757,747	752,161
Miyazaki-ken	431,693	424,033	416,824	412,729	407,827	403,810	394,261	386,299	383,769	381,879
Kagoshima-ken	1,024,598	1,014,560	1,005,816	998,153	985,271	962,219	943,088	941,063	933,196	935,094
Okinawa-ken	419,970	412,354	406,622	381,142	374,266	375,280	378,809	373,587	367,874	364,701
Japan	41,696,847	41,268,732	40,968,835	40,692,808	40,105,479	39,510,146	38,833,415	38,276,376	37,975,069	37,687,645

1872 to 1883

Population in the following table is given according to the population concept for enumerating the people, based on koseki registration system.

• Source: Japan Household Tables (as of January 1 for the years of 1883, 1882, 1878 and 1877),

Japan Population Tables (as of January 1 for the years of 1881 and 1880),

Japan Gun Ku Population Tables (as of January 1, 1879),

Japan Registered Population Tables (as of January 1, for the years of 1876, 1875, 1874 and 1873; and as of March 8, 1872).

Prefectures	Japanese	Jan 1, 1883	Jan 1, 1882	Jan 1, 1881	Jan 1, 1880	Jan 1, 1879	Jan 1, 1878	Jan 1, 1877	Jan 1, 1876	Jan 1, 1875	Jan 1, 1874	Jan 1, 1873	Mar 8, 1872
Nemuro-ken		5,642
Sapporo-ken		61,144
Hakodate-ken		117,063
Kaitaku-shi Hokkaido , formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...			177,901	168,084	163,355	158,615	151,735	150,667	149,554	149,008	146,443	123,668	123,668
Aomori-ken		488,505	487,687	484,274	475,413	468,517	464,985	462,865	489,245	484,428	473,098	473,317	473,244
Iwate-ken		611,735	605,538	598,132	591,881	592,294	579,249	578,297	327,924	323,434	321,871	320,731	319,486
Iwai-ken									385,031
Mizusawa-ken										380,409	379,170	376,079	372,562
Miyagi-ken		633,194	629,286	625,332	619,120	616,881	594,684	591,524	421,960	419,135	410,437	408,088	404,577
Akita-ken		633,203	628,435	625,506	618,833	621,130	616,148	613,389	609,420	604,114	596,641	581,859	582,297
Tsurugaoka-ken									207,939
Sakata-ken										207,902	208,107	206,859	203,676
Yamagata-ken		695,533	693,360	687,718	682,929	681,180	662,913	657,613	312,313	309,837	307,535	302,743	299,291
Okitama-ken									132,341	131,935	131,910	131,162	130,293
Fukushima-ken		840,241	829,990	823,120	808,937	804,866	774,707	765,115	281,824	281,302	270,679	268,959	268,576
Iwasaki-ken									258,080	249,553	244,703	242,941	242,906
Wakamatsu-ken									215,624	212,052	209,671	206,053	203,722
Ibaraki-ken		920,876	916,739	906,073	894,376	887,957	875,491	867,701	858,927	378,269	375,172	368,560	366,505
Niihari-ken										485,119	478,940	474,170	470,509
Tochigi-ken		609,000	600,627	593,383	581,358	570,843	550,271	543,245	665,724	648,503	636,348	392,106	388,934
Utsunomiya-ken												234,888	234,124
Gunma-ken		613,410	604,182	593,625	581,556	573,984	554,888	547,991				384,796	382,697
Kumagaya-ken									842,717	828,420	808,913
Saitama-ken		970,598	962,717	952,689	933,955	929,939	912,528	901,714	455,891	440,433	435,436	429,094	426,989
Iruma-ken												414,824	410,952
Chiba-ken		1,124,085	1,117,696	1,108,678	1,103,292	1,099,676	1,078,635	1,071,142	1,061,664	1,055,373	1,043,189
Inba-ken												578,927	574,652
Kisarazu-ken												458,619	456,689
Tōkyō-fu		999,623	987,911	979,109	957,144	953,776	881,443	877,049	873,646	855,270	830,935	813,504	779,361
Ogasawara-tō Ogasawara Islands The Bonin Islands, known in Japan as the are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, they are part of Ogasawara Municipality of Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo...					156	194
Kanagawa-ken		800,925	790,735	772,903	757,462	754,610	715,258	707,272	497,677	507,928	502,504	479,180	492,714
Ashigara-ken									355,880	353,609	344,132	342,298	339,582
Niigata-ken		1,586,599	1,581,168	1,564,312	1,546,338	1,530,712	1,504,601	1,500,061	1,388,812	1,388,353	1,368,782	637,576	635,484
Aikawa-ken									104,764	104,630	104,405	103,553	103,098
Kashiwazaki-ken												719,646	718,249
Niikawa-ken									649,458	638,822	629,006	623,977	480,638
Ishikawa-ken		1,428,073	1,412,802	1,856,402	1,833,778	1,852,811	1,825,507	1,806,509	696,429	691,735	686,249	669,647	403,357
Nanao-ken													397,511
Fukui-ken		582,210	577,717
Tsuruga-ken									553,425	548,833	547,582	200,832	199,819
Asuwa-ken												339,210	346,700
Yamanashi-ken		410,246	409,929	404,299	395,447	391,123	381,229	377,944	374,250	369,255	364,345	362,973	360,068
Nagano-ken		1,033,969	1,022,408	1,012,142	1,000,414	986,077	973,959	965,677	486,812	481,351	474,141	469,032	466,652
Chikuma-ken									570,701	564,332	556,959	554,657	550,841
Gifu-ken		868,333	855,575	849,221	839,613	831,887	818,984	806,158	692,218	683,050	672,627	668,148	660,896
Shizuoka-ken		985,881	980,793	972,265	970,022	980,766	976,405	968,814	382,814	378,076	372,674	369,731	368,505
Hamamatsu-ken									421,342	420,513	414,721	416,543	414,928
Aichi-ken		1,354,996	1,332,050	1,317,792	1,303,812	1,295,452	1,267,206	1,250,839	1,244,711	1,234,003	1,217,521	1,217,444	604,116
Nukata-ken													606,252
Mie-ken		870,137	857,887	850,791	842,113	834,893	830,415	818,877	429,986	427,831	417,439	419,068	413,865
Watarai-ken									380,475	369,479	363,563	364,565	363,732
Shiga-ken		639,961	633,447	745,133	738,211	729,893	721,099	711,802	589,747	584,756	579,704	578,099	305,232
Inukami-ken													271,332
Kyōto-fu		840,951	835,227	831,012	822,112	814,273	798,911	792,042	574,918	571,192	572,763	569,733	567,334
Ōsaka-fu		1,585,696	1,572,333	586,729	582,668	578,270	553,777	551,950	549,280	545,035	535,409	530,885	530,885
Sakai-ken				960,711	957,407	955,748	923,030	911,738	470,596	466,048	455,450	451,442	446,852
Hyōgo-ken		1,433,355	1,419,421	1,406,613	1,391,928	1,370,720	1,357,377	1,343,758	204,141	201,389	197,512	200,058	198,559
Toyo'oka-ken									513,079	508,027	507,815	507,465	505,073
Shikama-ken									659,643	651,033	641,946	639,576	635,791
Nara-ken									433,938	430,734	427,635	423,004	418,326
Wakayama-ken		610,182	606,754	603,723	601,236	602,075	591,668	584,976	579,112	572,436	565,696	562,410	556,919
Tottori-ken		379,747	380,915						395,632	392,589	388,861	386,186	385,531
Shimane-ken		674,984	669,410	1,043,865	1,037,260	1,034,581	1,023,678	1,017,361	342,621	340,398	340,065	340,222	340,042
Hamada-ken									270,804	268,455	263,955	262,035	259,611
Okayama-ken		1,029,567	1,019,674	1,007,054	1,000,570	1,001,220	984,621	976,774	961,035	335,592	333,575	333,714	387,459
Hokujō-ken									218,605	217,362	215,792	215,676	215,602
Oda-ken										619,647	608,353	605,666	546,430
Hiroshima-ken		1,252,811	1,243,032	1,225,057	1,213,152	1,207,947	1,197,835	1,190,069	964,337	942,827	941,978	925,962	919,047
Yamaguchi-ken		897,370	888,442	883,885	877,614	875,607	855,618	850,608	844,550	838,946	836,419	830,060	827,536
Tokushima-ken		649,616	642,172	637,550
Myōdō-ken									787,160	1,349,672	1,335,364	755,533	750,985
Kagawa-ken									591,584			564,351	559,712
Ehime-ken		1,491,614	1,472,680	1,453,472	1,438,895	1,432,627	1,403,693	1,394,091	793,214	791,522	786,408
Ishizuchi-ken												420,303	418,561
Kamiyama-ken												358,253	357,413
Kōchi-ken		549,184	546,642	550,686	1,179,247	1,185,764	1,164,723	1,160,235	534,070	531,863	528,728	526,285	524,511
Fukuoka-ken		1,128,289	1,118,652	1,109,475	1,097,215	1,087,604	1,070,244	1,064,050	457,335	450,965	448,628	445,278	441,175
Kokura-ken Kokura Prefecture The short-lived Kokura Prefecture of Japan was founded separately from Fukuoka prefecture in December 1871 after the clan system was abolished earlier that year...									322,156	317,108	312,539	307,535	304,574
Mizuma-ken									400,504	396,903	396,371	393,656	391,535
Saga-ken									491,260	487,008	486,946	480,034	506,667
Nagasaki-ken		1,212,157	1,204,449	1,196,065	1,190,335	1,192,134	1,173,263	1,167,367	672,278	668,974	668,482	665,123	630,487
Kumamoto-ken		997,830	993,373	995,673	986,695	981,341	980,976	980,642
Shirakawa-ken									976,753	965,242	957,790	950,389	513,593
Yatsushiro-ken													439,444
Ōita-ken		746,411	741,201	740,009	731,964	728,115	718,816	714,234	583,740	580,347	578,163	565,460	562,318
Miyazaki-ken									388,508	384,071	388,083	382,564
Mimitsu-ken													201,798
Miyakonojō-ken													310,121
Kagoshima-ken		1,291,586	1,290,281	1,279,631	1,270,463	1,261,909	1,219,942	1,218,383	820,654	813,692	812,327	806,902	670,864
Okinawa-ken		360,770	358,880	356,801	310,545	310,545
Ryūkyū-han Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryūkyū Kingdom was an independent kingdom which ruled most of the Ryukyu Islands from the 15th century to the 19th century. The Kings of Ryūkyū unified Okinawa Island and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands in modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture, and the Sakishima Islands near Taiwan...							168,064	167,822	167,572	167,320	167,073	166,789	166,789
Japan		37,017,302	36,700,118	36,358,994	35,928,821	35,768,556	34,898,576	34,628,365	34,338,404	33,997,449	33,625,678	33,300,675	33,110,825

1868 to 1871

Several demographic data remain for three ,(i.e. Kyōto-fu, Ōsaka-fu and Tōkyō-fu), 266 , 40 and one (i.e. Kaitaku-shi only in Hokkaidō) that existed for short time between Meiji Restoration

Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...

 and 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 . This process marked the culmination of the Meiji Restoration in that all daimyo were required to return their authority...

, though not thoroughly surveyed. Prefectural system was only introduced to which the Meiji government gained from Tokugawa shogunate

Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...

 or the revolted , while many areas still belonged to local lordship governments.

The table below shows demographic data for major prefectures and domains (over 100,000 persons) from two sources. For the demographic data of less populous areas, see in Japanese wikipedia page, for example.

Source: (1): Kokudaka

Kokudaka

refers to a system for determining land value for tribute purposes in Edo period Japan and expressing this value in koku of rice. This tribute was no longer a percentage of the actual quantity of rice harvested, but was assessed based on the quality and size of the land...

 and Population Table of fu, han and ken (Ōkuma Shigenobu

Okuma Shigenobu

Marquis ; was a statesman in the Empire of Japan and the 8th and 17th Prime Minister of Japan...

 collection; population as of February 2, 1869 (1st day of the 1st month, Meiji 2)),

(2): Bunzo Kure, "Estate population Table of fu, han and ken" Tōkei Shūshi (Statistics Bulletin) no. 8 pp. 96–107 (1882) (statistical date uncertain, but probably as of July 28, 1870 (1st day of the 7th month, Meiji 3)). Naotarō Sekiyama noted that the population of Japan as of July 28, 1870 was 32,773,698 (Kinsei Nihon jinkō-no kenkyū (Study of the Population of Japan in the Early Modern Period) (1948)).

Fu, han and ken	Japanese	Feb 2, 1869	Jul 28, 1870 (uncertain)
Kyōto-fu		374,496	373,705
Ōsaka-fu		427,395	427,499
Tōkyō-fu		674,447	674,440
Three urban prefectures (fu) total		1,476,338	1,475,644
Kōriyama-han		102,420	102,430
Tsu-han		224,418	244,252
Nagoya-han Owari Domain The was a feudal domain of Japan in the Edo period. Located in what is now the western part of Aichi Prefecture, it encompassed parts of Owari, Mino, and Shinano provinces. Its headquarters were at Nagoya Castle. At its peak, it was rated at 619,500 koku, and was the largest holding of the...		921,517	918,143
Shizuoka-han Sunpu Domain ' was a Japanese feudal domain intermittently during the Edo period. It was centered in Suruga Province, in what is now the city of Shizuoka, but at times included Kai and parts of Tōtōmi Provinces. In 1869 the domain was renamed .-History:...		813,886	876,840
Oshi-han Oshi Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Musashi Province. It was headquartered in Oshi Castle.-List of Daimyo:* Matsudaira clan # Ietada* Matsudaira clan # Tadayoshi...		110,305	114,009
Sakura-han Sakura Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Shimōsa Province , Japan. It was centered on Sakura Castle in what is now part of the city of Sakura...		119,129	119,150
Mito-han Mito Domain was a prominent feudal domain in Japan during the Edo period. Its capital was the city of Mito, and it covered much of present-day Ibaraki Prefecture. Beginning with the appointment of Tokugawa Yorifusa by his father, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, in 1608, the Mito branch of the Tokugawa clan...		364,256	281,239
Hikone-han Hikone Domain The was a feudal domain of Japan during the Edo period. It was established in 1600 with Ii Naomasa as the first daimyo. All fifteen daimyo were from the Ii clan.A large fudai domain, Hikone was initially rated at 180,000 koku...		173,691	189,954
Matsushiro-han Matsushiro Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Shinano Province. It was ruled for the majority of its history by the Sanada clan.-List of lords:*Mori clan #Tadamasa...		149,143	148,642
Matsumoto-han Matsumoto Domain The ' was a Japanese feudal domain in Shinano Province . Home to a major strategic center in the form of Matsumoto Castle, it was ruled by various families during the course of its history, the Hotta among them.-List of Daimyo:...		127,739	123,159
Maebashi-han		176,149	178,324
Sendai-han Sendai Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. Most of its holdings were contiguous, covering all of modern-day Miyagi Prefecture, small portions of southern Iwate Prefecture, and a portion of northeastern Fukushima Prefecture. The domain's capital, and the ruling family's castle, were located in what...		204,902	239,906
Hirosaki-han Hirosaki Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in northern Mutsu Province . It was ruled by the Tsugaru clan...		288,842	255,133
Yonezawa-han Yonezawa Domain Yonezawa Domain was a feudal domain of Tokugawa Japan, controlled by daimyō of the Uesugi clan. Covering the Okitama district of Dewa province, in what is today southeastern Yamagata Prefecture, the territory was ruled from Yonezawa castle in Yonezawa city...		129,753	128,786
Akita-han Kubota Domain The was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Dewa Province . Its main castle was in modern-day Akita, Akita. The Kubota Domain was also known as the . It was governed for the whole of its history by the Satake clan. In the Boshin War of 1868-69, it joined the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei, the...		435,267	412,652
Obama-han Obama Domain The Obama Domain was a Japanese feudal domain of the Edo period, based at Obama Castle in Wakasa Province ....		105,434	113,612
Fukui-han Fukui Domain The was a feudal domain in Echizen Province of Japan during the Edo period. It is also sometimes called '. The family name of the heads of the domain is "Matsudaira".- List of heads :# Hideyasu# Tadanao...		279,529	284,545
Kanazawa-han Kaga Domain The was a powerful feudal domain in Kaga, Noto and Etchū Provinces of Japan during the Edo period. The domain was founded by Maeda Toshiie and headed by the Maeda clan. Its income rating, over 1,000,000 koku, was the highest in the nation after the Tokugawa shogunate itself...		1,080,210	1,086,164
Toyama-han Toyama Domain The was a Japanese feudal domain of the Edo period, located in Etchū Province . It was ruled by a branch of the Maeda clan of Kaga.The domain was founded by Maeda Toshitsugu, the grandson of Maeda Toshiie.-References:...		132,415	116,755
Takada-han		171,056	168,844
Shibata-han		192,591	192,604
Tottori-han Tottori Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Inaba and Hōki Provinces . It was ruled by different branches of the Ikeda clan.-List of lords:*Ikeda clan, 1600-1617 #Nagayoshi#Nagayuki...		373,065	371,669
Matsue-han Matsue Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was headquartered in what is now Matsue, Shimane.-List of lords:*Horio clan, 1600-1633 #Horio Yoshiharu#Horio Tadauji#Horio Tadaharu*Kyōgoku clan, 1634-1637...		291,694	295,829
Himeji-han Himeji Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo Period, located in Harima Province .-List of lords:*Ikeda clan #Terumasa#Toshitaka#Mitsumasa*Honda clan #Tadamasa#Masatomo#Masakatsu...		222,661	223,762
Tsuyama-han Tsuyama Domain The was a feudal domain in Mimasaka Province of Japan during the Edo period.- History :In 1600, the territory that became the Tsuyama domain formed part of the territory ruled from Okayama by Kobayakawa Hideaki...		106,437	106,464
Okayama-han Okayama Domain The ' was a Japanese feudal domain of the Edo period, located in modern-day Okayama Prefecture. The domain sided with the Kyoto government during the Boshin War.-List of Daimyo:*Kobayakawa clan, 1600-1602 #Hideaki...		358,337	350,909
Fukuyama-han Fukuyama Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Bingo and Bitchū provinces.-List of lords:*Mizuno clan, 1619-1698 #Katsunari#Katsutoshi#Katsusada#Katsutane#Katsumine*Tenryō, 1698-1700...		180,534	185,863
Hiroshima-han Hiroshima Domain Hiroshima Domain was a han, or feudal domain, of Edo period Japan. Based at Hiroshima castle in the city of Hiroshima, the domain encompassed Aki province and parts of neighboring Bingo province....		514,157	914,174
Yamaguchi-han		552,671	565,368
Wakayama-han Wakayama Domain The was a han or Japanese feudal domain in Kii Province , with income of 555,000 koku. The domain was also known as or . The heads of the domain were Kishu-Tokugawa clan, one of Gosanke...		528,408	540,969
Tokushima-han Tokushima Domain The was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Awa Province and Awaji Province in Shikoku. Ruled by the Hachisuka family, it was rated at an income of 256,000 koku...		714,022	123,046
Takamatsu-han Takamatsu Domain The was a han or feudal domain in Sanuki Province , Japan during the Edo period. The domain was governed first by the Ikoma family then by the Mito-Matsudaira clan.-History:...		293,775	305,197
Marugame-han		135,096	134,285
Iyo Matsuyama-han Iyo-Matsuyama Domain The was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, with its holdings centered in modern-day Matsuyama, Ehime.-History:The Iyo-Matsuyama domain passed through several hands before settling as the fief of a branch of the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira. In the Bakumatsu period, the domain took part in the Tokugawa...		211,882	211,882
Uwajima-han Uwajima Domain The was a feudal domain in Iyo Province of Japan during the Edo period. It was ruled from 1608 to 1613 by the Tomita clan. After a brief period as Tokugawa-controlled tenryō territory, the domain passed into the hands of the Date clan. The founder was Date Hidemune , first-born son of Date Masamune...		169,512	169,526
Ōzu-han Ozu Domain was a Japanese han or fief centered on Ōzu in Iyo Province . It was governed from Ōzu Castle.Ōzu Domain was abolished, along with all the other han, in 1871.-House of Katō:#Katō Sadayasu #Katō Yasuoki...		104,248	97,758
Kōchi-han Tosa Domain The was a feudal domain in Tosa Province of Japan during the Edo period. Its official name is . Some from the domain played important roles in events in the late Tokugawa shogunate...		516,866	516,545
Fukuoka-han Fukuoka Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Chikuzen Province .-List of lords:*Kuroda clan, 1600-1871 #Nagamasa#Tadayuki#Mitsuyuki#Tsunamasa#Nobumasa...		366,924	367,478
Kurume-han Kurume Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, ruled by the Arima clan. It was located in Chikugo Province .The Arima clan became viscounts in the Meiji era.-List of lords:* Arima clan 1620-1871...		262,085	241,495
Yanagawa-han Yanagawa Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Chikugo Province . It was ruled for most of its history by the Tachibana clan.-List of lords:*Tanaka clan, 1600-1620 #Yoshimasa#Tadamasa...		120,180	127,326
Toyotsu-han Kokura Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was headquartered what is now the city of Kokura, in Kyūshū. In the late Edo period, it was also called "Kawara-han" and then "Toyotsu-han" .-List of lords:...		111,397	117,843
Nakatsu-han Nakatsu Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was headquartered at Nakatsu Castle in what is now Nakatsu, Oita, in Kyushu.The Meiji-era scholar Fukuzawa Yukichi was a former samurai of the Nakatsu domain.-List of lords:...		100,403	99,148
Saga-han Saga Domain Saga Domain was a han, or feudal domain, in Tokugawa period Japan. Largely contiguous with Hizen Province on Kyūshū, the domain was governed from Saga Castle in the capital city of Saga by the Nabeshima clan of tozama daimyō...		425,762	0
Shimabara-han Shimabara Domain The ' was a feudal domain of Edo period Japan, located in Hizen Province, Kyūshū, occupying most of Shimabara Peninsula.-History:The Arima clan, who were Kirishitan daimyō, ruled over Shimabara Domain in the late Muromachi period from Hinoe Castle and Hara Castle...		174,296	175,055
Hirado-han Hirado Domain was a tozama han of Edo period Japan, with its territory extending from northern Hizen Province to the offshore Iki Province...		149,143	145,826
Ōmura-han Omura Domain ' was a Japanese feudal domain of the Edo period, located in Hizen Province. Ōmura was a tozama domain.Ōmura was settled in ancient times, and was controlled by the Ōmura clan since the 12th century. The Ōmura clan claimed descent from Fujiwara no Sumitomo...		122,174	120,553
Kumamoto-han Kumamoto Domain The was han or a Japanese feudal domain that was located in Higo Province apart from Kuma District and Amakusa District and part of Bungo Province . It was also known as...		719,990	730,531
Nobeoka-han		122,277	125,750
Kagoshima-han		772,354	896,817
Other 217 domains han		7,054,375	6,760,944
265 Domains (han) total		22,077,377	21,317,155
Nara-ken		158,728	158,733
Gojō-ken		136,060	136,065
Sakai-ken		249,523	249,534
Hyōgo-ken		224,124	224,159
Kōfu-ken		352,900	352,939
Nirayama-ken		250,708	250,633
Kanagawa-ken		421,690	421,701
Urawa-ken		280,530	280,285
Shinagawa-ken		188,650	188,652
Kosuge-ken		106,267	162,093
Miyazaku-ken		281,077	281,081
Katsushika-ken		230,614	229,724
Wakamori-ken		149,976	17,692
Ōtsu-ken		211,334	211,343
Kasamatsu-ken		188,139	188,140
Ina-ken		188,999	189,901
Iwahana-ken		358,640	358,695
Nikkō-ken		415,796	217,588
Shirakawa-ken Shirakawa Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Mutsu Province. Its most famous ruler was Matsudaira Sadanobu, the architect of the Kansei Reforms.Shirakawa was also the scene of one of the battles of the Boshin War.-List of lords:...		106,388	106,309
Wakamatsu-ken		199,211	199,249
Fukushima-ken		119,666	119,666
Tome-ken		115,874	222,523
Isawa-ken		138,167	138,167
Esashi-ken		237,550	1
Morioka-ken Morioka Domain The was a han or feudal domain that encompasses present-day the middle-northern part of Iwate Prefecture and eastern part of Aomori Prefecture. It is sometimes colloquially called . The domain was tozama daimyo and was governed by the Satake clan. Its income was 100,000...		137,825	137,826
Yamagata-ken Yamagata Domain Yamagata Domain was a Japanese fief , located in Dewa province, in the Tōhoku region . Modern-day Yamagata Prefecture is roughly contiguous with the domain, and its capital city, also called Yamagata, grew up out of the daimyo's castle town...		331,941	32,262
Kashiwazaki-ken		418,711	418,724
Niigata-ken		259,600	259,613
Sado-ken		102,337	102,337
Kumihama-ken		166,586	166,593
Hamada-ken		228,863	228,863
Kurashiki-ken		237,506	214,597
Hita-ken		195,455	195,456
Nagasaki-ken		265,946	264,259
Other 6 prefectures (ken)		569,499	371,199
40 Prefectures (ken) total		8,224,880	7,296,602
Total (except Kaitaku-shi)		31,778,595	30,089,401

It is quite apparent that the above demographic data contain many textual errors, but could not be corrected because the original unpublished reports preserved at the office of the Ministry of Interior of Japan were burned by a fire after the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake

1923 Great Kanto earthquake

The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...

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For demographic data during the Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

, see Demographics of Japan before Meiji Restoration

Demographics of Japan before Meiji Restoration

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Japan before Meiji Restoration.-Total population:Before the establishment of system by the Tokugawa shogunate, several less reliable sources remain upon which an estimate of the population of Japan can be made...

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See also

• Government of Japan
  Government of Japan
  The government of Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the 1947 constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected...
  
  
• Prefectures of Japan
  Prefectures of Japan
  The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...
  
  
• List of Japanese prefectures ranked by area
• List of Japanese prefectures by GDP
• List of Japanese cities by population
• List of Provinces of Japan
• ISO 3166-2 codes for Japan

External links

• Statistics Bureau of Japan
• Kindai Digital Library at the National Diet Libray of Japan (original texts in Japanese)
  • Imperial Japan Static Population Statistics as of December 31, 1918 (with French notations)
  • Imperial Japan Static Population Statistics as of December 31, 1913 (with French notations)
  • Imperial Japan Static Population Statistics as of December 31, 1908 (de facto populations since 1885 with French notations)
  • Japan Registered Population Tables as of January 1, 1874 (Japanese only)
• DSpace at Waseda University
  • Kokudaka and population Table (Okuma Shigenobu Collection, original text in Japanese)