Japan’s prefectures: two layers of local government
都道府県
Japan has 47 prefectures: Tokyo, Hokkaido, Osaka, Kyoto and 43 others called ken in Japanese. They handle regional administration alongside municipalities, which deal more directly with residents. The four Japanese designations do not describe four successive levels of government.
A regional administration building
One to, one dō, two fu and 43 ken make 47.
Prefectures and municipalities form two tiers of local government.
Historical provinces and modern prefectures are different geographical systems.
01
A prefecture and a municipality have different jobs
The regional tier
A prefecture covers an area containing municipalities and handles broader regional administration. It works with municipal governments, but a city government is not simply a branch office of the prefectural administration. Each is a local public entity with its own responsibilities. For an everyday comparison, prefectural police handle driving licences, while municipalities commonly handle resident registers and household-waste collection. Specific allocations also depend on arrangements such as designated-city status.
Municipalities are called cities, towns or villages: shi, machi or chō, and mura or son. Those names do not create fundamental differences in their basic responsibilities. A Japanese address commonly identifies the prefecture before the municipality, showing the two geographical layers.
A municipal service counter
Examples of responsibilities at two levels
Level
Examples
Prefecture
Police and driving-licence administration
Municipality
Resident registration and household waste
Examples follow Fukuoka Prefecture’s explanation; designated and core cities have exceptions.
Tokyo extends beyond the 23 wards
Tokyo also contains cities, towns and villages in the Tama area and outlying islands. Its 23 special wards provide local services, with special arrangements for some functions. In the ward area, the metropolitan government handles services such as firefighting and water supply that ordinarily belong to municipalities.
02
Why four Japanese names?
To, dō, fu and ken
Tokyo uses to, Hokkaido uses dō, and Kyoto and Osaka use fu; the remaining 43 use ken. English groups all 47 as prefectures. Early Meiji administrations used fu for several important centres; in 1869 only Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka retained that designation. Tokyo later became a to. Today the four names belong to the same prefectural tier.
Other maps describe other things
Regional names such as Kantō and Kinki group areas for geographical or cultural purposes, with some variation in definitions. Older province names, including Musashi and Shinano, belong to a historical territorial system. Neither set can simply replace the modern prefectures and their administrative boundaries.
Current administration, old provinces and regional groupings
Concept
Example and scope
Current prefectures
Osaka and Hyōgo: present local governments
Old province
Settsu: an area crossing parts of present Osaka and Hyōgo
Regional grouping
Kinki: one convention that groups Osaka, Hyōgo and other prefectures
These have different purposes and boundaries; they are not three levels of one administrative hierarchy.
03
How the present framework emerged
1871 changed the system, not straight to 47
The Meiji government abolished the domains in 1871 and replaced their governors with centrally appointed officials. The resulting division initially comprised three fu and 302 ken. Repeated consolidation followed, so the abolition of domains should not be mistaken for the instant creation of today’s map.
Cover of the Dajō Ruiten volume containing the 1871 abolition-of-domains documentImage source
Consolidation and separate regional changes
After a period divided into three prefectures, Hokkaido received a Hokkaido Agency in 1886; the 1947 Local Autonomy Act replaced that arrangement. Okinawa became a prefecture in 1879, came under US administration after the war and returned to Japanese administration on May 15, 1972. Tokyo Prefecture and Tokyo City became Tokyo Metropolis in 1943.
Elected governors and assemblies after the war
The postwar Constitution and the 1947 Local Autonomy Act provided a new framework. Residents elect the governor and assembly separately. The assembly decides matters including budgets and ordinances, while the governor leads the executive administration; the assembly is not the governor’s subordinate department.
Check your understanding
How do the Japanese designations add up to 47?
One to, one dō, two fu and 43 ken.
Is a city merely a prefecture’s branch office?
No. Prefectures and municipalities are local public entities with their own responsibilities.
Does Tokyo consist only of its 23 wards?
No. It includes municipalities in Tama and the outlying islands as well.
Did the modern 47 divisions appear together in 1871?
No. Abolition of the domains was followed by extensive consolidation and regional changes.