Osaka Prefecture

is part of the Kinki region on Honshu island, Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka.

History

September 1, 1956: Osaka City is promoted a city designated by government ordinance and thereby divided into 24 wards.

Knock Yokoyama became governor of Osaka Prefecture in 1995 but resigned in 2000 following allegations of sexual harassment. He was replaced by Fusae Ota.

April 1, 2006: Sakai City is promoted a city designated by government ordinance and thereby divided into 7 wards.

Geography

Cities

33 cities are located on Osaka Prefecture.

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district.

Toyono District
- Nose
- Toyono

Mergers

(as of 12/26/05)

Merger: Mihara and Sakai (1 February 2005)

The town of Mihara merged into the city of Sakai.

Economy

Gross prefectural product: ¥40.9 trillion
Annual industrial output: ¥17.2 trillion
Annual retail sales: ¥76.6 trillion

Major companies based in Osaka Prefecture include Hankyu, Kintetsu, Matsushita, Sharp, Sanyo, Nissin and Glico.

Demographics

The population of Osaka Prefecture taken during the 2000 National Census is 8,804,806, or about seven percent of the total population of Japan, ranking second after Tokyo Prefecture.

Culture

Universities in Osaka Prefecture

Osaka University (Toyonaka and Suita)
Osaka University of Foreign Studies (Minoh)
Osaka Kyoiku University (Kashiwara)
Osaka City University (Osaka city)
Osaka Prefecture University (Sakai)
Kansai University (Suita, Takatsuki, Osaka city)
Kinki University (Higashiosaka)
Kansai Gaidai University (Hirakata) (aka Kansai University of Foreign Studies)

Tourism

Osaka-fu has three airports (Kansai International Airport, Osaka International Airport, and Yao Airport).

Prefectural symbols

The symbol of Osaka Prefecture, called the sennari byōtan or "thousand gourds," was originally the crest of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the feudal lord of Osaka Castle.

Miscellaneous topics

Until the reclamation of the Kansai International Airport island, Osaka was the smallest prefecture by area; it is now merely the second-smallest.

Osaka is the only unlandlocked prefecture that does not have any natural islands.

In 2000, Osaka became the first prefecture in Japan to elect a woman governor.

External links

Kansai region | Osaka Prefecture | Prefectures of Japan

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