Subprefectures of Japan
Encyclopedia
Certain prefectures of Japan
are now, or once were, divided into subprefectures. The subprefecture is the jurisdiction surrounding a of the prefectural government. Normally, the area of a subprefecture consists of a few to a dozen cities, towns, and/or villages. Subprefectures are formed to provide services of the prefectural government in geographically remote areas. They are usually not used in postal addresses.
In addition, in 1907 Japan formed Karafuto Prefecture
to govern the island of Sakhalin
. Karafuto was divided into four subprefectures: Toyohara (in present-day Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
), Maoka (in present-day Kholmsk
), Esutoru (in present-day Uglegorsk
) and Shikuka (in present-day Makarov
).
A number of islands gained by Japan in the Treaty of Versailles
were placed under the direction of a from 1922 to 1945. This was divided into six subprefectures, on the islands of Saipan
, Yap
, Palau
, Truk, Pohnpei
and Jaluit. In November 1943, the six subprefectures were merged into "eastern," "western" and "northern" subprefectures, which remained in place until Japan's surrender.
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...
are now, or once were, divided into subprefectures. The subprefecture is the jurisdiction surrounding a of the prefectural government. Normally, the area of a subprefecture consists of a few to a dozen cities, towns, and/or villages. Subprefectures are formed to provide services of the prefectural government in geographically remote areas. They are usually not used in postal addresses.
Existing subprefectures
- HokkaidōHokkaido, 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...
, the largest prefecture by area in Japan, is divided into fourteen subprefectures. These were formed in 1897. The subprefectures did not include major cities, such as Sapporo and Hakodate, until 1922. See: Subprefectures in HokkaidōSubprefectures in HokkaidoHokkaido Prefecture had 14 branch offices called 支庁 in Japanese, which is often translated in English as subprefectures. Normally, a subprefecture consists of a few to a dozen cities, towns, and/or villages.... - KagoshimaKagoshima Prefectureis 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...
has two subprefectures, ŌshimaOshima Subprefecture (Kagoshima)is a subprefecture of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The subprefectural office is located in Amami.It includes the following municipalities on the Amami Islands:*Ōshima Subprefecture**Amami **Tatsugō...
and KumageKumage Subprefectureis a subprefecture of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The subprefectural office is located in Nishinoomote.It includes the following cities and towns on the Ōsumi Islands:*Kumage Subprefecture**Nishinoomote...
, located in AmamiAmami, Kagoshimais a city located on Amami Ōshima in Kagoshima, Japan.The city was formed on March 20, 2006 from the merger of the old city of Naze with the town of Kasari, and the village of Sumiyō, both from Ōshima District....
and NishinoomoteNishinoomote, Kagoshimais a city located in Kagoshima, Japan on the island of Tanegashima.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 17,666 and the density of 85.9 persons per km²...
respectively. They cover the islands between Kagoshima and Okinawa. - MiyazakiMiyazaki Prefectureis 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....
contains a single subprefecture, NishiusukiNishiusuki District, MiyazakiNishiusuki is a district located in Miyazaki, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 25,479 and the density of 37.10 persons per km². The total area is 686.77 km².-Towns and villages:*Gokase*Hinokage*Takachiho...
, a remote mountain district in the northwest corner of the prefecture. - NagasakiNagasaki Prefectureis 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...
contains three subprefectures that provide services to the outlying islands of TsushimaTsushima IslandTsushima Island is an island of the Japanese Archipelago situated in the middle of the Tsushima Strait at 34°25'N and 129°20'E. The main island of Tsushima was once a single island, but the island was divided into two in 1671 by the Ōfunakosiseto canal and into three in 1900 by the Manzekiseto canal...
, IkiIki IslandIki Island is an island lying between the island of Kyūshū and the Tsushima islands in the Tsushima Strait, the eastern channel of the Korea Strait. It is currently part of Nagasaki Prefecture of Japan. The city of Iki is the centre of the local government. The island has three ports.The island’s...
and GotōGoto, Nagasakiis a city in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It comprises the south-west half of the Gotō Islands in the East China Sea, some 100 kilometers from Nagasaki. The city consists of 11 inhabited and 52 uninhabited islands...
. - TokyoTokyo, ; 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...
contains four subprefectures that provide administrative services to residents of certain outlying islands under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The four branch offices are located at HachijōHachijo Subprefectureis a subprefecture of Tokyo, Japan. The organization belongs to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau Of General Affairs.It includes the following towns and villages on the Izu Islands:*Hachijō...
, MiyakeMiyake Subprefectureis a subprefecture of Tokyo, Japan. The organization belongs to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau Of General Affairs.It includes the following villages on the Izu Islands:*Miyake *Mikurajima...
, OgasawaraOgasawara Subprefectureis a subprefecture of Tokyo, Japan. The subprefecture covers the Bonin Islands and includes the village of Ogasawara; and the prefectural government maintains a main office on Chichijima and a branch office on Hahajima....
and ŌshimaOshima Subprefecture (Tokyo)is a subprefecture of Tokyo, Japan. The organization belong to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau Of General Affairs.It includes the following towns and villages on the Izu Islands:*Ōshima *Toshima...
. - OkinawaOkinawa Prefectureis 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...
has two subprefectures, MiyakoMiyako Subprefectureis a subprefecture of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.It includes the following cities and towns of Miyako Islands:*Miyakojima *Tarama...
and YaeyamaYaeyama Subprefectureis a subprefecture of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.It includes the following cities and towns of Yaeyama and Senkaku Islands:*Ishigaki *Taketomi...
, located on the islands of Miyakojima and Ishigaki respectively. These offices provide prefectural government services to the isolated archipelagos surrounding both islands. - ShimaneShimane Prefectureis 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...
contains one subprefecture governing the Oki IslandsOki Islandsare a group of islands in the southwestern part of the Sea of Japan and belong to Japan.-Geography:The Oki Islands are situated between 40 to 80 kilometers north of the coast of Honshū.The islands are of volcanic origin and have a total area of 346,1 km2...
. This is the closest Japanese government office to Liancourt RocksLiancourt RocksThe Liancourt Rocks, also known as Dokdo or Tokto in Korean or in Japanese, are a group of small islets in the Sea of Japan . Sovereignty over the islets is disputed between Japan and South Korea...
, a small island group held by South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
but claimed by JapanJapanJapan 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...
. - YamagataYamagata-Places in Japan:*Yamagata Prefecture**Yamagata City, the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture**Yamagata Airport , an airport located in Yamagata**Yamagata Shinkansen, one of Shinkansen lines running between Tokyo Station and Shinjo Station...
is divided into four subprefectures, each of which is located in one of the four main urban areas of the prefecture (YamagataYamagata, Yamagatais 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...
, ShinjoShinjo, Yamagatais a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 39,535 and the density of 177 persons per km². The total area is 223.08 km².The city was consolidated from several smaller villages on April 1, 1949....
, YonezawaYonezawa, Yamagatais a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 91,704 and the population density of 167 persons per square kilometer...
and ShonaiShonai, Yamagatais a town located in Higashitagawa District, Yamagata, Japan. It was created by the merger of the towns of Amarume and Tachikawa in 2005.As of 2005, the town has an estimated population of 24,921 and the density of 249.26 persons per km²...
).
Historical subprefectures
- HyōgoHyogo Prefectureis 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 :...
, another geographically large prefecture, was divided into ten subprefectures, but these are now known as . - ChibaChiba Prefectureis 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...
was divided into five subprefectures until 2003, when the branch offices were renamed .
In addition, in 1907 Japan formed Karafuto Prefecture
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...
to govern the island of 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 was divided into four subprefectures: Toyohara (in present-day Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
-Demographics:Most residents are ethnic Russians, but there also exists a sizable population of Koreans. Of the 43,000 Sakhalin Koreans, half are estimated to live in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, comprising roughly 12% of the city's population...
), Maoka (in present-day Kholmsk
Kholmsk
Kholmsk is a town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, the administrative center of Kholmsky District. Population: 35,141 .-History:The town was founded in 1870 as a military post. After the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, the town was transferred to Japanese control, along with the rest of southern...
), Esutoru (in present-day Uglegorsk
Uglegorsk
Uglegorsk may refer to:*Uglegorsk, Amur Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Amur Oblast, Russia*Uglegorsk, Sakhalin Oblast, a town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia*Vuhlehirsk, a town in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine...
) and Shikuka (in present-day Makarov
Makarov
-Places:*Makarov, Russia, a town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia*Makarov, Luhans'ka, Ukraine - populated place N 48° 41' 1 E 39° 31' 7*Makarov, Luhans'ka, Ukraine - populated place N 48° 41' 57 E 39° 29' 20...
).
A number of islands gained by Japan in the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
were placed under the direction of a from 1922 to 1945. This was divided into six subprefectures, on the islands of Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, Yap
Yap
Yap, also known as Wa'ab by locals, is an island in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It is a state of the Federated States of Micronesia. Yap's indigenous cultures and traditions are still strong compared to other neighboring islands. The island of Yap actually consists of four...
, Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
, Truk, Pohnpei
Pohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
and Jaluit. In November 1943, the six subprefectures were merged into "eastern," "western" and "northern" subprefectures, which remained in place until Japan's surrender.