Written and Fact-checked by Whereig Editors | Last Updated On: May 27, 2026
Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, including 43 regular prefectures, two urban prefectures, one "circuit" comprising four prefectures, and one "metropolis" with special status. Here is a list of the prefectures in Japan as of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021:
Japan is an island country in East Asia located in the Pacific Ocean east of the Korean Peninsula and China. The country is divided into 47 prefectures, and those prefectures are further divided into cities, towns, villages, and districts for local administration. Tokyo is the national capital and also the largest metropolitan area in Japan.
The country includes volcanic mountains, coastal plains, forests, islands, high-speed urban centers, and rural farming regions spread across four main islands and thousands of smaller islands. Different prefectures are known for technology industries, historic temples, seafood, agriculture, tourism, and regional cultural traditions.
Key Facts
- National capital: Tokyo
- Total population: 123,900,000 (Official estimate 2025)
- Total area: 377,975 km² (145,937 sq miles)
- Currency: Japanese Yen (¥ , JPY)
- Bordering countries: None - island nation
- Total Prefectures: 47
- Main Islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu
List of Prefectures and Capitals of Japan
Total prefectures shown: 47 | Combined population: 123,900,000 | Combined area: 377,975 km²
| # | Prefecture Name | Capital City | Region | Area (km²) | Population (Latest Census) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aichi | Nagoya | Chubu | 5,173 | 7,480,000 |
| 2 | Akita | Akita | Tohoku | 11,638 | 900,000 |
| 3 | Aomori | Aomori | Tohoku | 9,645 | 1,180,000 |
| 4 | Chiba | Chiba | Kanto | 5,157 | 6,280,000 |
| 5 | Ehime | Matsuyama | Shikoku | 5,676 | 1,300,000 |
| 6 | Fukui | Fukui | Chubu | 4,190 | 740,000 |
| 7 | Fukuoka | Fukuoka | Kyushu | 4,987 | 5,100,000 |
| 8 | Fukushima | Fukushima | Tohoku | 13,784 | 1,750,000 |
| 9 | Gifu | Gifu | Chubu | 10,621 | 1,950,000 |
| 10 | Gunma | Maebashi | Kanto | 6,362 | 1,900,000 |
| 11 | Hiroshima | Hiroshima | Chugoku | 8,479 | 2,720,000 |
| 12 | Hokkaido | Sapporo | Hokkaido | 83,424 | 5,100,000 |
| 13 | Hyogo | Kobe | Kansai | 8,400 | 5,400,000 |
| 14 | Ibaraki | Mito | Kanto | 6,097 | 2,850,000 |
| 15 | Ishikawa | Kanazawa | Chubu | 4,186 | 1,100,000 |
| 16 | Iwate | Morioka | Tohoku | 15,275 | 1,170,000 |
| 17 | Kagawa | Takamatsu | Shikoku | 1,877 | 920,000 |
| 18 | Kagoshima | Kagoshima | Kyushu | 9,187 | 1,550,000 |
| 19 | Kanagawa | Yokohama | Kanto | 2,416 | 9,250,000 |
| 20 | Kochi | Kochi | Shikoku | 7,104 | 670,000 |
| 21 | Kumamoto | Kumamoto | Kyushu | 7,409 | 1,700,000 |
| 22 | Kyoto | Kyoto | Kansai | 4,612 | 2,500,000 |
| 23 | Mie | Tsu | Kansai | 5,774 | 1,720,000 |
| 24 | Miyagi | Sendai | Tohoku | 7,282 | 2,250,000 |
| 25 | Miyazaki | Miyazaki | Kyushu | 7,735 | 1,020,000 |
| 26 | Nagano | Nagano | Chubu | 13,562 | 2,000,000 |
| 27 | Nagasaki | Nagasaki | Kyushu | 4,131 | 1,250,000 |
| 28 | Nara | Nara | Kansai | 3,691 | 1,280,000 |
| 29 | Niigata | Niigata | Chubu | 12,584 | 2,100,000 |
| 30 | Oita | Oita | Kyushu | 6,340 | 1,090,000 |
| 31 | Okayama | Okayama | Chugoku | 7,114 | 1,860,000 |
| 32 | Okinawa | Naha | Okinawa | 2,282 | 1,470,000 |
| 33 | Osaka | Osaka | Kansai | 1,905 | 8,760,000 |
| 34 | Saga | Saga | Kyushu | 2,440 | 790,000 |
| 35 | Saitama | Saitama | Kanto | 3,797 | 7,340,000 |
| 36 | Shiga | Otsu | Kansai | 4,017 | 1,410,000 |
| 37 | Shimane | Matsue | Chugoku | 6,708 | 650,000 |
| 38 | Shizuoka | Shizuoka | Chubu | 7,777 | 3,550,000 |
| 39 | Tochigi | Utsunomiya | Kanto | 6,408 | 1,900,000 |
| 40 | Tokushima | Tokushima | Shikoku | 4,146 | 690,000 |
| 41 | Tokyo | Tokyo | Kanto | 2,194 | 14,100,000 |
| 42 | Tottori | Tottori | Chugoku | 3,507 | 540,000 |
| 43 | Toyama | Toyama | Chubu | 4,248 | 1,000,000 |
| 44 | Wakayama | Wakayama | Kansai | 4,725 | 890,000 |
| 45 | Yamagata | Yamagata | Tohoku | 9,323 | 1,000,000 |
| 46 | Yamaguchi | Yamaguchi | Chugoku | 6,113 | 1,290,000 |
| 47 | Yamanashi | Kofu | Chubu | 4,465 | 790,000 |
Largest Prefectures by Area
- Hokkaido - 32,210 sq mi (83,424 km²)
- Iwate - 5,898 sq mi (15,275 km²)
- Fukushima - 5,322 sq mi (13,784 km²)
- Nagano - 5,236 sq mi (13,562 km²)
- Niigata - 4,859 sq mi (12,584 km²)
- Akita - 4,493 sq mi (11,638 km²)
- Gifu - 4,101 sq mi (10,621 km²)
- Aomori - 3,724 sq mi (9,645 km²)
Most Populous Prefectures
- Tokyo - Population: 14,100,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
- Kanagawa - Population: 9,250,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
- Osaka - Population: 8,760,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
- Aichi - Population: 7,480,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
- Saitama - Population: 7,340,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
- Chiba - Population: 6,280,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
- Hyogo - Population: 5,400,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
- Fukuoka - Population: 5,100,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
Smallest Prefectures by Area
- Kagawa - 725 sq mi (1,877 km²)
- Osaka - 736 sq mi (1,905 km²)
- Tokyo - 847 sq mi (2,194 km²)
- Okinawa - 881 sq mi (2,282 km²)
- Kanagawa - 933 sq mi (2,416 km²)
- Saga - 942 sq mi (2,440 km²)
Prefectures by Regional Grouping
- Hokkaido: Hokkaido
- Tohoku: Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata
- Kanto: Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, Tochigi, Tokyo
- Chubu: Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, Yamanashi
- Kansai: Hyogo, Kyoto, Mie, Nara, Osaka, Shiga, Wakayama
- Chugoku: Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, Yamaguchi
- Shikoku: Ehime, Kagawa, Kochi, Tokushima
- Kyushu: Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Oita, Saga
- Okinawa: Okinawa
Landlocked Prefectures
- Gunma
- Gifu
- Nagano
- Nara
- Saitama
- Shiga
- Tochigi
- Yamanashi
Prefectures with Coastline
- Aichi
- Akita
- Aomori
- Chiba
- Ehime
- Fukui
- Fukuoka
- Fukushima
- Hiroshima
- Hokkaido
- Hyogo
- Ibaraki
- Ishikawa
- Iwate
- Kagawa
- Kagoshima
- Kanagawa
- Kochi
- Kumamoto
- Kyoto
- Mie
- Miyagi
- Miyazaki
- Nagasaki
- Niigata
- Oita
- Okayama
- Okinawa
- Osaka
- Saga
- Shimane
- Shizuoka
- Tokushima
- Tokyo
- Tottori
- Toyama
- Wakayama
- Yamagata
- Yamaguchi
Prefectures Sharing Borders with Other Countries
- None - Japan is an island nation in East Asia.
Sources
- Statistics Bureau of Japan
- World Bank - Japan Data
- CIA World Factbook - Japan
- Encyclopaedia Britannica - Japan
- Government of Japan
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Location Map of Asian Countries
- Where is Afghanistan
- Where is Armenia
- Where is Azerbaijan
- Where is Bahrain
- Where is Bangladesh
- Where is Bhutan
- Where is Brunei
- Where is Cambodia
- Where is China
- Where is Georgia
- Where is Hong Kong
- Where is India
- Where is Indonesia
- Where is Iran
- Where is Iraq
- Where is Israel
- Where is Japan
- Where is Jordan
- Where is Kazakhstan
- Where is Kuwait
- Where is Kyrgyzstan
- Where is Laos
- Where is Lebanon
- Where is Macau
- Where is Malaysia
- Where is Maldives
- Where is Mongolia
- Where is Myanmar
- Where is Nepal
- Where is North Korea
- Where is Oman
- Where is Pakistan
- Where is Philippines
- Where is Qatar
- Where is Russia
- Where is Saudi Arabia
- Where is Singapore
- Where is South Korea
- Where is Sri Lanka
- Where is Syria
- Where is Taiwan
- Where is Tajikistan
- Where is Thailand
- Where is Turkey
- Where is Turkmenistan
- United Arab Emirates
- Where is Uzbekistan
- Where is Vietnam
- Where is Yemen
Location of Asian Cities
- Where is Abu Dhabi
- Where is Amman
- Where is Ankara
- Where is Baghdad
- Where is Baku
- Where is Bangkok
- Where is Bangalore
- Where is Beijing
- Where is Bishkek
- Where is Damascus
- Where is Dhaka
- Where is Dubai
- Where is Doha
- Where is Hanoi
- Where is Islamabad
- Where is Jakarta
- Where is Jerusalem
- Where is Kabul
- Where is Kathmandu
- Where is Kuala Lumpur
- Where is Kuwait City
- Where is Manila
- Where is Moscow
- Where is Mumbai
- Where is Muscat
- Where is New Delhi
- Where is Riyadh
- Where is Sanaa
- Where is Shanghai
- Where is Seoul
- Where is Taipei
- Where is Tehran
- Where is Tokyo