Fukushima Prefecture

is located in the Tohoku region on Honshu island, Japan. The capital is the city of Fukushima.

History

Fukushima Prefecture was historically part of Mutsu Province. This region of Japan is also known as Michinoku and Ōshū.

Geography

Fukushima is the southernmost prefecture of Tohoku, and the closest to Tokyo. It is divided by mountain ranges into three regions called (from west to east) Aizu, Nakadori, and Hamadori. The coastal Hamadori region lies on the Pacific Ocean and is the flattest and most temperate region, while the Nakadori region is the agricultural heart of the prefecture and contains the capital Fukushima, and the mountainous Aizu region has many sccenic lakes and harsh winters.

Cities

12 cities are located in Fukushima Prefecture.

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district.

ǂScheduled to dissolve after the mergers

Mergers

On November 1, 2004 the former village of Kitaaizu from the former Kitaaizu District (dissolved by this merger) merged into the (expanded) city of Aizuwakamatsu.

On March 1, 2005 the towns of Funehiki, Ogoe, Takine, and Tokiwa and village of Miyakoji, all from Tamura District, merged to create the new city of Tamura.

On April 1, 2005 the town of Naganuma and the village of Iwase from Iwase District merged into the city of Sukagawa.

On October 1, 2005 the towns of Aizuhongou and Aizutakada and the village of Niitsuru, all from Onuma District, merged to create the new town of Aizumisato.

On November 1, 2005 the town of Kawahigashi from Kawanuma District merged into the city of Aizuwakamatsu.

On November 7, 2005 the city of Shirakawa and the villages of Higashi, Omotegō and Taishin from Nishishirakawa District merged to create the city of Shirakawa.

On December 1, 2005, the city of Nihonmatsu and the towns of Adachi, Iwashiro and Towa (all from Adachi District) merged to create the city of Nihonmatsu.

On January 1, 2006 the towns of Date, Hobara, Ryozen, Tsukidate and Yanagawa from Date District merged to create the city of Date.

On January 1, 2006 the city of Haramachi and the towns of Kashima and Odaka from Soma District merged to create the city of Minamisoma.

On January 4, 2006, the city of Kitakata, the towns of Shiokawa and Yamato and the villages of Atsushiokanou and Takasato (all from Yama District) merged to create the city of Kitakata.

On March 20, 2006, the town of Tajima and the villages of Tateiwa, Ina and Nangou (all from Minamiaizu District) merged to form the new town of Minamiaizu.

Future Mergers

The town of Motomiya and the village of Shirasawa (both from Adachi District) is scheduled to merge to form the new city of Motomiya on New Years Day 2007.
The towns of Kawamata and Iino from Date District are scheduled to get absorbed by the city of Fukushima between January 1, 2007 to July 20, 2008.

Economy

The coastal region traditionally specializes in fishing and seafood industries, and is notable for its electric and particularly nuclear power-generating industry, while the upland regions are more focused on agriculture. The capital region has a strong industry in software and electronics.

Demographics

Culture

Prefectural symbols

An old tale of an ogress, Adachigahara was once said to have roamed the plain for which it was named. Adachigahara plain lies close to the city of Fukushima.

External links

Official Fukushima Prefecture homepage

Tohoku region | Fukushima Prefecture | Prefectures of Japan

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