A prefectural capital is a city where a prefectural government and assembly is located.
In Japan, a prefectural capital is officially called , but the term is also used ().
List of Japanese prefectural capitals Capital Prefecture Region Island Pop.¹ ISO Status Akita Tōhoku Honshū327,651 JP-05 Core city Aomori Tōhoku Honshū304,657 JP-02 Core city Chiba Kantō Honshū943,568 JP-12 Designated city Fukui Chūbu Honshū268,210 JP-18 Core city Fukuoka Kyūshū Kyūshū1,434,650 JP-40 Designated city Fukushima Tōhoku Honshū288,602 JP-07 Core city Gifu Chūbu Honshū411,753 JP-21 Core city Hiroshima Chūgoku Honshū1,164,885 JP-34 Designated city Kagoshima Kyūshū Kyūshū604,268 JP-46 Core city Kanazawa Chūbu Honshū455,952 JP-17 Core city KobeKōbe Kansai Honshū1,532,305 JP-28 Designated city KochiKōchi Shikoku Shikoku345,418 JP-39 Core city KofuKōfu Chūbu Honshū198,757 JP-19 Core city Kumamoto Kyūshū Kyūshū670,014 JP-43 Designated city Kyōto Kansai Honshū1,468,065 JP-26 Designated city Maebashi Kantō Honshū317,167 JP-10 Core city Matsue Chūgoku Honshū195,008 JP-32 Core city Matsuyama Shikoku Shikoku514,771 JP-38 Core city Mito Kantō Honshū263,299 JP-08 Core city Miyazaki Kyūshū Kyūshū368,984 JP-45 Core city Morioka Tōhoku Honshū298,959 JP-03 Core city Nagano Chūbu Honshū377,328 JP-20 Core city Nagasaki Kyūshū Kyūshū446,551 JP-42 Core city Nagoya Chūbu Honshū2,243,564 JP-23 Designated city Naha Kyūshū Ryūkyū Islands313,436 JP-47 Core city Nara Kansai Honshū366,863 JP-29 Core city Niigata Chūbu Honshū811,613 JP-15 Designated city OitaŌita Kyūshū Kyūshū467,617 JP-44 Core city Okayama Chūgoku Honshū700,646 JP-33 Designated city Ōsaka Kansai Honshū2,649,601 JP-27 Designated city OtsuŌtsu Kansai Honshū330,044 JP-25 Core city Saga Kyūshū Kyūshū239,003 JP-41 Special city Saitama Kantō Honshū1,197,471 JP-11 Designated city Sapporo Hokkaidō Hokkaidō1,896,704 JP-01 Designated city Sendai Tōhoku Honshū1,029,576 JP-04 Designated city Shinjuku都庁の所在地 Shinjuku is the location of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Tokyo not having itself been a "municipality" since 1943. Kantō Honshū314,262 JP-13 Special wards Shizuoka Chūbu Honshū709,888 JP-22 Designated city Takamatsu Shikoku Shikoku417,671 JP-37 Core city Tokushima Shikoku Shikoku265,248 JP-36 City Tottori Chūgoku Honshū199,319 JP-31 Core city Toyama Chūbu Honshū420,584 JP-16 Core city Tsu Kansai Honshū287,849 JP-24 City Utsunomiya Kantō Honshū508,114 JP-09 Core city Wakayama Kansai Honshū371,504 JP-30 Core city Yamagata Tōhoku Honshū254,724 JP-06 Core city Yamaguchi Chūgoku Honshū191,714 JP-35 City Yokohama Kantō Honshū3,643,641 JP-14 Designated city Notes: ¹
Non-capitals which share a name with their prefecture In most cases, a city that shares a name with its prefecture is a prefectural capital. However, there are some municipalities that are not capitals. Iwate, Iwate Prefecture Ibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture Okinawa, Okinawa Prefecture Tochigi, Tochigi Prefecture Yamanashi, Yamanashi Prefecture
Capitals that are not the largest city/metropolitan area in their prefecture Those in italics are prefectural capitals, or metropolitan areas of them.
1. Iwaki 348,322 1. Kōriyama Metropolitan Area 537,493 2. Kōriyama 338,887 2. Fukushima Metropolitan Area 412,353 3. Fukushima 294,724 3. Iwaki Metropolitan Area 365,864
1. Takasaki 342,662 1. Takasaki Metropolitan Area 532,271 2. Maebashi 317,114 2. Maebashi Metropolitan Area 458,996
1. Yokkaichi 307,418 1. Yokkaichi Metropolitan Area 606,071 2. Tsu 288,874 2. Tsu Metropolitan Area 308,375
1. Hamamatsu 812,692 1. Shizuoka Metropolitan Area 999,360 2. Shizuoka 709,772 2. Hamamatsu Metropolitan Area 919,933
1. Tottori 199,263 1. Yonago Metropolitan Area 252,387 2. Yonago 148,234 2. Tottori Metropolitan Area 249,067
1. Shimonoseki 284,693 1. Shimonoseki Metropolitan Area 287,935 2. Yamaguchi 191,740 2. Ube Metropolitan Area 258,180 3. Ube 175,334 3. Yamaguchi Metropolitan Area 178,402 Notes: City populations are as of July 2008. Metropolitan area populations are as of 2000. (Urban Employment Areas)
References