title: List of capitals in Japan
text: # List of capitals in Japan
  
  A prefectural capital is a city where a prefectural government and assembly is located.
  
  ## Japan
  
  In Japan, a prefectural capital is officially called todōfukenchō shozaichi (都道府県庁所在地, "seat of a prefectural government", singular: 都庁所在地,tochō shozaichi in the [Tōkyō]-to, 道庁所在地, dōchō shozaichi in the [Hokkai]-dō, 府庁所在地, fuchō shozaichi in -fu, 県庁所在地, kenchō shozaichi in -ken), but the term kento (県都, "prefectural capital") is also used (dōto (道都, in the -dō, but never "futo" or "toto")).
  
  ### List of Japanese prefectural capitals
  
  | Capital | Prefecture | Region | Island | Pop.¹ | ISO | Status |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Akita | Akita | Tōhoku | Honshū | 327,651 | JP-05 | Core city |
  | Aomori | Aomori | Tōhoku | Honshū | 304,657 | JP-02 | Core city |
  | Chiba | Chiba | Kantō | Honshū | 943,568 | JP-12 | Designated city |
  | Fukui | Fukui | Chūbu | Honshū | 268,210 | JP-18 | Core city |
  | Fukuoka | Fukuoka | Kyūshū | Kyūshū | 1,434,650 | JP-40 | Designated city |
  | Fukushima | Fukushima | Tōhoku | Honshū | 288,602 | JP-07 | Core city |
  | Gifu | Gifu | Chūbu | Honshū | 411,753 | JP-21 | Core city |
  | Hiroshima | Hiroshima | Chūgoku | Honshū | 1,164,885 | JP-34 | Designated city |
  | Kagoshima | Kagoshima | Kyūshū | Kyūshū | 604,268 | JP-46 | Core city |
  | Kanazawa | Ishikawa | Chūbu | Honshū | 455,952 | JP-17 | Core city |
  | KobeKōbe | Hyōgo | Kansai | Honshū | 1,532,305 | JP-28 | Designated city |
  | KochiKōchi | Kōchi | Shikoku | Shikoku | 345,418 | JP-39 | Core city |
  | KofuKōfu | Yamanashi | Chūbu | Honshū | 198,757 | JP-19 | Core city |
  | Kumamoto | Kumamoto | Kyūshū | Kyūshū | 670,014 | JP-43 | Designated city |
  | Kyōto | Kyōto | Kansai | Honshū | 1,468,065 | JP-26 | Designated city |
  | Maebashi | Gunma | Kantō | Honshū | 317,167 | JP-10 | Core city |
  | Matsue | Shimane | Chūgoku | Honshū | 195,008 | JP-32 | Core city |
  | Matsuyama | Ehime | Shikoku | Shikoku | 514,771 | JP-38 | Core city |
  | Mito | Ibaraki | Kantō | Honshū | 263,299 | JP-08 | Core city |
  | Miyazaki | Miyazaki | Kyūshū | Kyūshū | 368,984 | JP-45 | Core city |
  | Morioka | Iwate | Tōhoku | Honshū | 298,959 | JP-03 | Core city |
  | Nagano | Nagano | Chūbu | Honshū | 377,328 | JP-20 | Core city |
  | Nagasaki | Nagasaki | Kyūshū | Kyūshū | 446,551 | JP-42 | Core city |
  | Nagoya | Aichi | Chūbu | Honshū | 2,243,564 | JP-23 | Designated city |
  | Naha | Okinawa | Kyūshū | Ryūkyū Islands | 313,436 | JP-47 | Core city |
  | Nara | Nara | Kansai | Honshū | 366,863 | JP-29 | Core city |
  | Niigata | Niigata | Chūbu | Honshū | 811,613 | JP-15 | Designated city |
  | OitaŌita | Ōita | Kyūshū | Kyūshū | 467,617 | JP-44 | Core city |
  | Okayama | Okayama | Chūgoku | Honshū | 700,646 | JP-33 | Designated city |
  | Ōsaka | Ōsaka | Kansai | Honshū | 2,649,601 | JP-27 | Designated city |
  | OtsuŌtsu | Shiga | Kansai | Honshū | 330,044 | JP-25 | Core city |
  | Saga | Saga | Kyūshū | Kyūshū | 239,003 | JP-41 | Special city |
  | Saitama | Saitama | Kantō | Honshū | 1,197,471 | JP-11 | Designated city |
  | Sapporo | Hokkaidō | Hokkaidō | Hokkaidō | 1,896,704 | JP-01 | Designated city |
  | Sendai | Miyagi | Tōhoku | Honshū | 1,029,576 | JP-04 | Designated city |
  | Shinjuku | Tōkyō | Kantō | Honshū | 314,262 | JP-13 | Special wards |
  | Shizuoka | Shizuoka | Chūbu | Honshū | 709,888 | JP-22 | Designated city |
  | Takamatsu | Kagawa | Shikoku | Shikoku | 417,671 | JP-37 | Core city |
  | Tokushima | Tokushima | Shikoku | Shikoku | 265,248 | JP-36 | City |
  | Tottori | Tottori | Chūgoku | Honshū | 199,319 | JP-31 | Core city |
  | Toyama | Toyama | Chūbu | Honshū | 420,584 | JP-16 | Core city |
  | Tsu | Mie | Kansai | Honshū | 287,849 | JP-24 | City |
  | Utsunomiya | Tochigi | Kantō | Honshū | 508,114 | JP-09 | Core city |
  | Wakayama | Wakayama | Kansai | Honshū | 371,504 | JP-30 | Core city |
  | Yamagata | Yamagata | Tōhoku | Honshū | 254,724 | JP-06 | Core city |
  | Yamaguchi | Yamaguchi | Chūgoku | Honshū | 191,714 | JP-35 | City |
  | Yokohama | Kanagawa | Kantō | Honshū | 3,643,641 | JP-14 | Designated city |
  
  Notes: ¹ As of 1 May 2008
  
  ### 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.
  
  **Fukushima Prefecture**
  
  | 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 |
  
  **Gunma Prefecture**
  
  | 1. | Takasaki | 342,662 | 1. | Takasaki Metropolitan Area | 532,271 |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 2. | Maebashi | 317,114 | 2. | Maebashi Metropolitan Area | 458,996 |
  
  **Mie Prefecture**
  
  | 1. | Yokkaichi | 307,418 | 1. | Yokkaichi Metropolitan Area | 606,071 |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 2. | Tsu | 288,874 | 2. | Tsu Metropolitan Area | 308,375 |
  
  **Shizuoka Prefecture**
  
  | 1. | Hamamatsu | 812,692 | 1. | Shizuoka Metropolitan Area | 999,360 |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 2. | Shizuoka | 709,772 | 2. | Hamamatsu Metropolitan Area | 919,933 |
  
  **Tottori Prefecture**
  
  | 1. | Tottori | 199,263 | 1. | Yonago Metropolitan Area | 252,387 |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 2. | Yonago | 148,234 | 2. | Tottori Metropolitan Area | 249,067 |
  
  **Yamaguchi Prefecture**
  
  | 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)
  