Prefectures of Japan is something unique to the Island of Japan. Let’s begin with a simple question of what is a prefecture? The prefecture is Japan’s jurisdiction and there are 47 prefectures or jurisdictions.
In Japanese, the prefectures of Japan are commonly referred toas todōfuken. The prefectures are governmental bodies larger than cities, towns, and villages.
The elected governor is the chief executive of each prefecture. Each prefecture is subdivided into cities (市 shi) and districts (郡 gun), then the district is further subdivided into towns (町 chō or machi) and villages (村 son or mura).
Prefecture Background
The current system of Prefecture came into existence after the abolition of the Han system in July 1871. The Meiji government reduced the Han system’s 300 prefectures to 72 in the latter part of 1871, and 47 in 1888.
Though the Japanese language remains the official language of Japan, a number of indigenous languages are still spoken in each prefecture.
From the map below, try to find out out what prefecture is Tokyo in or what prefecture is Osaka in?
Map – 47 Prefectures of Japan
Regions:
- Hokkaido
- Tohoku
- Kanto
- Kansai
- Shikoku
- Kyushu
- Chugoku
- Chubu

Tokyo is in Tokyo prefecture (however Tokyo Megalopolis Region consists of Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures. Osaka is in Osaka prefecture.
List of 47 Prefectures of Japan
# | Prefecture | Japanese | Capital | Region | Island |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aichi | 愛知県 | Nagoya | Chūbu | Honshū |
2 | Akita | 秋田県 | Akita | Tōhoku | Honshū |
3 | Aomori | 青森県 | Aomori | Tōhoku | Honshū |
4 | Chiba | 千葉県 | Chiba | Kantō | Honshū |
5 | Ehime | 愛媛県 | Matsuyama | Shikoku | Shikoku |
6 | Fukui | 福井県 | Fukui | Chūbu | Honshū |
7 | Fukuoka | 福岡県 | Fukuoka | Kyūshū | Kyūshū |
8 | Fukushima | 福島県 | Fukushima | Tōhoku | Honshū |
9 | Gifu | 岐阜県 | Gifu | Chūbu | Honshū |
10 | Gunma | 群馬県 | Maebashi | Kantō | Honshū |
11 | Hiroshima | 広島県 | Hiroshima | Chūgoku | Honshū |
12 | Hokkaidō | 北海道 | Sapporo | Hokkaidō | Hokkaidō |
13 | Hyōgo | 兵庫県 | Kobe | Kansai | Honshū |
14 | Ibaraki | 茨城県 | Mito | Kantō | Honshū |
15 | Ishikawa | 石川県 | Kanazawa | Chūbu | Honshū |
16 | Iwate | 岩手県 | Morioka | Tōhoku | Honshū |
17 | Kagawa | 香川県 | Takamatsu | Shikoku | Shikoku |
18 | Kagoshima | 鹿児島県 | Kagoshima | Kyūshū | Kyūshū |
19 | Kanagawa | 神奈川県 | Yokohama | Kantō | Honshū |
20 | Kōchi | 高知県 | Kōchi | Shikoku | Shikoku |
21 | Kumamoto | 熊本県 | Kumamoto | Kyūshū | Kyūshū |
22 | Kyoto | 京都府 | Kyoto | Kansai | Honshū |
23 | Mie | 三重県 | Tsu | Kansai | Honshū |
24 | Miyagi | 宮城県 | Sendai | Tōhoku | Honshū |
25 | Miyazaki | 宮崎県 | Miyazaki | Kyūshū | Kyūshū |
26 | Nagano | 長野県 | Nagano | Chūbu | Honshū |
27 | Nagasaki | 長崎県 | Nagasaki | Kyūshū | Kyūshū |
28 | Nara | 奈良県 | Nara | Kansai | Honshū |
29 | Niigata | 新潟県 | Niigata | Chūbu | Honshū |
30 | Ōita | 大分県 | Ōita | Kyūshū | Kyūshū |
31 | Okayama | 岡山県 | Okayama | Chūgoku | Honshū |
32 | Okinawa | 沖縄県 | Naha | Kyūshū | Ryūkyū Islands |
33 | Osaka | 大阪府 | Osaka | Kansai | Honshū |
34 | Saga | 佐賀県 | Saga | Kyūshū | Kyūshū |
35 | Saitama | 埼玉県 | Saitama | Kantō | Honshū |
36 | Shiga | 滋賀県 | Otsu | Kansai | Honshū |
37 | Shimane | 島根県 | Matsue | Chūgoku | Honshū |
38 | Shizuoka | 静岡県 | Shizuoka | Chūbu | Honshū |
39 | Tochigi | 栃木県 | Utsunomiya | Kantō | Honshū |
40 | Tokushima | 徳島県 | Tokushima | Shikoku | Shikoku |
41 | Tokyo | 東京都 | Shinjuku | Kantō | Honshū |
42 | Tottori | 鳥取県 | Tottori | Chūgoku | Honshū |
43 | Toyama | 富山県 | Toyama | Chūbu | Honshū |
44 | Wakayama | 和歌山県 | Wakayama | Kansai | Honshū |
45 | Yamagata | 山形県 | Yamagata | Tōhoku | Honshū |
46 | Yamaguchi | 山口県 | Yamaguchi | Chūgoku | Honshū |
47 | Yamanashi | 山梨県 | Kofu | Chūbu | Honshū |
Travel guide: Are you planning to visit Japan? Then, discover the 10 Must-Visit Prefectures in Japan (by Tripzilla).