Япония – удивительная и необычная страна с ancient traditions. However, the administrative-territorial division of the country is carried out in general according to the ancient Roman system of prefectures. But the Japanese also filled this system with their own content; therefore, studying the territorial structure of Japan when meeting with the peculiarities of the state is of particular interest.
Структура государства гармонично сочетает traditions and innovations. The system of traditional representations of Shintoism and Buddhism led to the fact that in the Land of the Rising Sun great importance is attached to the hierarchy. Any solution passes certain levels, each of which complements and enriches it. For Japan, at the same time, submission to the elder is characteristic - in status and age - and respect for the sovereign opinion and personal space of a person. This was the basis for the allocation of territorial units in the country. At the end of the 19th century, administrative reforms took place in the country, which retained the old form, but made improvements to it. So there were prefectures of Japan, or todofukeny. At first there were about 300, then there was a reduction to 72, and in 1888 their current number was determined - 47. In turn, the prefectures can be divided into counties and districts. They also belong to larger regions, there are only 8 in Japan. Today, the rapid growth of some cities again necessitates a reform of the country's territorial division, but they are still in the draft.
Historically, there are four types of territorial management in the country:
- that. The capital district of Tokyo is allocated to a separate administrative unit;
- ken. These are actually prefectures, which provide for a greater degree of autonomy from the central government in the country 43;
- before. This is a special territory with its rights and features - Hokkaido;
- Fu. These are two cities with the status of a separate district: Kyoto and Osaka.
In turn, within these large areasstand out smaller parts. At the head of each administrative unit is its own governor, he has rather large rights to manage his part of the country. The prefectures of Japan are in close cooperation with the center, but not completely obey it. In this case, all positions of local government, including its head, are elective. The goal of territorial policy is to prevent conflict situations.
Eight large regions unite all the prefectures of Japan. The list of administrative units is as follows:
- Hokkaido, this is a special prefecture, divided into 14 districts;
- Kyushu region includes prefectures: Miyazaki, Okinawa, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Saga, Oyta, Fukuoka;
- Tohoku unites Fukushima, Aomori, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Iwate;
- Shikoku includes Tokushima prefectures, Kagawa, Kochi, Ehime;
- The Kanto region consists of Chiba, Tochigi, Saitam, Ibaraki, Gumma, Tokyo prefectures;
- Chugoku unites Yamaguchi, Shimane, Tottori, Okayama, Hiroshima;
- The Kinki region consists of the prefectures of Wakayama, Hyogo, Mie, Nara, Kyoto, Osaka, Shiga;
- The tube includes the territorial units of Yamanashi, Gifu, Nagano, Ishikawa, Niigata, Toyama, Fukui, Shizuoka, Aichi.
If you look at the Japanese version of the world map, thenYou can see that there are a number of inconsistencies with maps created in other countries. This is due to the fact that Japan considers its own territories, which are officially owned by other states. Territorial disputes exist between the country of the Rising Sun, China, Korea and Russia. Thus, part of the Kuril Islands are, according to the Japanese, part of the Hokkaido prefecture of Japan. The dispute arose as a result of the fact that, as a result of the Second World War in 1946, these islands became part of the Soviet Union. Prior to this, the Kuriles and Sakhalin were at times the property of Russia, at times of Japan. Historically, for the first time these lands were settled by the Japanese.
Свою независимость и уникальность префектуры Japan emphasize including the presence of its own flag. Japanese culture emphasizes the emblems and flags: they not only serve as a means of identifying the territory, but also convey a certain key message that describes the special characteristics of the region. In the country, almost every village has its own flag, what can we say about the prefectures. Banners are decorated with pictograms with a deep meaning, it is not always clear to a foreigner, but is well read by residents of the country. Looking at the flags, you can see the geometric and stylized images that are encrypted messages. For example, the city and the prefecture in Japan, Aomori, decorated their flag with a stylized, hard-to-read Europeans symbol - the “crown of Honshu”. This is a simplified depiction of the outlines of the three parts that make up the land of the region. The background of the flag is white, which means the open spaces of the prefecture, and the green color of the figure symbolizes the hope for the development and prosperity of these lands. And Tottori Prefecture (Japan) adorned its flag with a white hiragana sign “that” resembling a white bird in flight. This image for the inhabitants of the region means the freedom, development and peace of the prefecture.
С 2008 года монетный двор начал выпускать монеты "Prefectures of Japan", which are also intended to emphasize the uniqueness of each region. While not all the prefectures acquired their own coins, this program stretched over several years. But the issued banknotes impress with their beauty and thoughtfulness: the most important symbols of the territory are chosen for the image. For example, a pattern of the contour of Lake Biwa, the largest in Japan, was applied to the coin of Shiga Prefecture. Also on the reverse you can see the image of a small grebe bird, which lives on the lake. On the coins of the prefectures of Okinawa, Miyazaki and Kanagawa are depicted the soldiers in typical outfits for this region. The main architectural sights of the territory were chosen as a background for human figures.
Among all regions of the country is most differentHokkaido Prefecture. Japan finally annexed this territory to their lands only in 1869 as a result of colonization. Until that time, there were very ancient settlements here. Culture Jomon began to form as early as the 6th millennium BC. Then it was transformed into the Satsumon culture, and in the 13th century AD it became the source for the emergence of the unique Ainu culture. This nation experienced a constant encroachment of the Japanese on their lands, the relations between the two cultures were an alternation of wars and peaceful trade. But at the end of the 19th century the final colonization of the island by the Japanese took place. But since that time, a special atmosphere has been maintained here, which is also supported by the special rights of this territorial unit. It is headed by the governor, and not the prefect, as in the rest of the land, Hokkaido has more autonomy and rights than other prefectures. The main city of the region is Sapporo. Hokkakido is the northernmost and largest prefecture of Japan. The country believes that part of the Kuril Islands should belong to this prefecture. The blue flag of Hokkaido Prefecture is decorated with a white seven-rayed star with red lines in the middle. Something this sign resembles a snowflake and symbolizes hope and development. Blue for the Japanese means the sea and the sky of northern Hokkaido, white means light and snow, and red means the life-affirming energy of people.
The opposite of Hokkaido is the southernmostOkinawa Prefecture of Japan. This territory, as well as part of Hokkaido, is the subject of a dispute between Japan and Taiwan. The main city of the region is Naha. Settlements of people here were in the days of the Paleolithic. The composition of Japan, the islands of this prefecture entered only in 1972, thanks to the agreement between the Land of the Rising Sun and the United States.
Kagawa is the smallest in areaPrefecture, it is only about 1800 square meters. km The main attraction of the region is the mountains, which is marked by the image on the flag. Despite its small size, the prefecture is rich in sights. In addition, the main volume of salt is mined here, meeting the needs of the whole country.
