Japan prefectures: description, history, list and features

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

Administrative division of Japan

The structure of the state harmoniously combines traditions and innovations. The system of traditional representations of Shinto and Buddhism led to the fact that in the Land of the Rising Sun great importance is given to the hierarchy. Any solution passes certain levels, each of which complements and enriches it. For Japan, it is also common to subordinate the elder - by status and age - and respect for the sovereign opinion and personal space of a person. This became the basis for the allocation of territorial units in the country. At the end of the 19th century, administrative reforms took place in the country, which retained the old form, but made improvements to it. So there were Japanese prefectures, or todofukens. At first there were about 300 of them, then there was a reduction to 72, and in 1888 their current number was determined - 47. In turn, prefectures can be divided into counties and counties. They are also included in the larger education regions, there are only 8 of them in Japan. Today, the rapid growth of some cities again calls for the reform of the territorial division of the country, but they are still in the project.

Types of prefectures

Historically, there are four types of territory management in the country:

- that. Tokyo Metropolitan District is a separate administrative unit;

- Ken. This is actually the prefecture, which provides for a greater degree of autonomy from the central government, they are in the country 43;

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

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

In turn, within these large territories, smaller parts are allocated. At the head of each administrative unit is its governor, he has fairly large rights to manage his part of the country. The prefectures of Japan are in close interaction with the center, but do not obey everything in it. At the same time, all positions of local self-government, including its head, are elected. The purpose of territorial policy is to avoid conflict situations.

Full list

Eight large regions unite all the prefectures of Japan. The list of administrative units is as follows:

- Hokkaido, this is a special prefecture, divided into 14 districts;

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

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

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

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

- Tyugoku is united by Yamaguchi, Shimane, Tottori, Okayama, Hiroshima;

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

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

Territorial disputes

If you look at the Japanese version of the world map, you can see that it has a number of inconsistencies with maps created in other countries. This is due to the fact that Japan considers certain territories that are officially owned by other states. Territorial disputes exist between the country of the Rising Sun, China, Korea and Russia. Thus, part of the islands of the Kuril chain are, in the opinion of the Japanese, part of the prefecture of Japan, Hokkaido. The dispute arose as a result of the fact that after the Second World War in 1946 these islands became part of the Soviet Union. Prior to this, the Kuriles and Sakhalin were at times the property of Russia, at times Japan. Historically for the first time these lands were inhabited by the Japanese.

Prefectural flags

Its independence and uniqueness of the prefecture of Japan are emphasized, in particular, by the presence of its own flag. The Japanese culture attaches special importance to the arms and flags: they not only serve as a means of identifying the territory, but also transmit a key message that describes the special characteristics of the region. In the country, almost every village has its own flag, let alone prefectures. Banners are decorated with pictograms with a deep meaning, it is not always clear by a foreigner, but is well read by the inhabitants of the country. When viewing flags, you can see geometric and stylized images that are encrypted messages. For example, the city and the prefecture in Japan Aomori decorated their flag with a stylized, hard-to-read Europeans symbol - the "crown of Honshu". This is a simplified image of the outlines of the three parts that make up the region's land. The background of the flag is white, which means the prefecture's expanses, and the green color of the figure symbolizes the hope for the development and prosperity of these lands. A prefecture of Tottori (Japan) decorated its flag with a white hiragana "to" sign, resembling a white bird in flight. This image for the inhabitants of the region means freedom, development and peace of the prefecture.

Coins of prefectures

Since 2008, the mint began to issue coins "Japan Prefectures", which are also designed to emphasize the identity of each region. While not all prefectures have acquired their own coin, this program has stretched for several years. But the issued banknotes impress with the beauty and thoughtfulness: for the image the most important symbols of the territory are chosen. For example, on the coin of Shiga Prefecture, a contour drawing of Lake Biwa - the largest in Japan. Also on the reverse you can see a bird image of a small toad, which lives on the lake. The coins of the prefectures of Okinawa, Miyazaki and Kanagawa depict warriors in typical outfits for this region. The background for human figures selected the main architectural landmarks of the territory.

Special Territory

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

The most south

The opposite of Hokkaido is the most southern prefecture in Japan, Okinawa. This territory, as well as part of Hokkaido, is the subject of a dispute between Japan and Taiwan. The main city of the region is Naha. Settlements of people here were still at the time of the Paleolithic. In Japan, the islands of this prefecture entered only in 1972, thanks to the contract between the Land of the Rising Sun and the United States.

The smallest prefecture

Kagawa is the smallest prefecture in the area, it is only about 1800 square meters. Km. The main attraction of the region is the mountains, which is marked by the image on the flag. Despite its small size, the prefecture is rich in sights. In addition, it produces the bulk of salt that meets the needs of the whole country.