Japan is divided into multiple divisions (47 prefectures) to facilitate the nation’s functions smoothly. These divisions (entities) have the same role, rank, and authority but have different names due to their historical background. They are governed and administered by local governments with similar structures and policies. They have their unique characteristics and responsibilities playing a crucial role in executing governance and providing services to the residents.

都道府県 Prefectures စီရင်စုများ

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都 metropolis, capital မြို့ကြီးပြကြီး (1 out of 47 prefectures)

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Tokyo Metropolis
Population: 1 million to 37.2 million

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government includes a governor and an assembly that is elected every 4 years by Tokyo citizens. The assembly, a decision-making organization is made up of 127 members. With the president and committee members, the assembly has the authority to make and change laws, approve the budget, select members for various commissions, and investigate and inspect the metropolitan government. 

Each governor has the authority and responsibility to manage the affairs and administration for 4 years. The governor oversees the overall governance including decisions relating to budget, policies, and implementation of various programs and initiatives. However, the governor’s major projects and appointments need the assembly’s approval through voting to be carried out.

Population: 5.57 million (Hokkaidou)

There are 8 regions with respective prefectures (Hokkaidou, Touhoku, Kantou, Chuubu, Kansai/ Kinki, Chuugoku, Shikoku, Kyuushuu & Okinawa). They are governed by governors and assemblies similar to Tokyo Metropolis. Each region showcases Japan’s rich history, traditions, cultural heritage, diverse attractions, and breathtaking natural landscapes which is perfect for learners to explore more about Japan.

府 မြို့ပြစီရင်စု (2 prefectures out of 47 prefectures)

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Population: 8.8 million (Osaka), 2.56 million (Kyoto)

Urban prefectures, parts of the Kansai region, Osaka prefecture, and Kyoto prefecture are known as 府 (Fu), which means “core urban zone of national importance”. Osaka, Japan’s third largest city is regarded as Western Japan’s capital and an antithesis to Tokyo. Meanwhile, Kyoto, Japan’s previous capital, is famous for its rich history, culture, and temples.

県 စီရင်စု (the rest 43 prefectures)

Population: ???

Rural prefectures contain districts 郡, cities 市 and are larger than towns and villages. All prefectures have autonomy except Tokyo which possesses additional municipal authority within its territories. Each prefecture has its governors and assembly which are elected every 4 years by citizens. The assembly appoints presidents and its members to govern. The number of assembly members varies from 5 to 15. Municipalities, local public entities are the most important administrative unit of local government. They are also selected through elections. They retain strong and direct relationships with residents and manage affairs related to the residents directly.

Except for the small municipalities, most hire an executive manager who may not be a municipal council member.

区・市・郡 Ward, City, Districts

Large cities are divided into wards 区, then split into towns 町 , and districts 郡.

区 ward

Population: 685,899 (adachi), 213648 (arakawa)

区(ku), a subdivision of the cities, local entities are managed by the municipal government. The government is responsible for handling family registration, property taxation, and health insurance. While many wards are not legally authorised, they handle several tasks in affiliated residents’ organisations.

Meanwhile, 23 special wards in Tokyo are referred to as municipal divisions and have a different rank compared to other wards (ku).

市 city

Population: 50000+

市 (shi), the city has the same standing as towns 町 and villages 村 with not much difference in responsibilities, except for not being a part of districts 郡. City, a local administrative unit is defined as having at least 50000 population, of which a minimum of 60% of households must reside in a central urban area, and have occupations in commerce, industry, or other urban careers. City has 4 different categories: designated city, core city, special city, and regular city. 

Eg. Nagoya, Toyohashi

郡 district ခရိုင်

Population: 168 188 (Obihiro)

Districts consist of 1 or more towns/villages in a prefecture. Due to being administrative units in the past which were similar to the US or China, district names remain as it is and they are sometimes referred to as boundaries for electoral districts. However, their municipal functions were transferred from their offices to respective towns’ and villages’ offices and hence, they do not have governing functions. Now, they are mainly used in addresses to identify geographical areas and collections of surrounding towns and villages.

Example : (District 12) Cities of Abashiri, Kitami, Monbetsu and Wakkanai, (District 11) City of Obihiro

町 town မြို့

Population: 4259 (Utashinai) to 8.98 million (Tokyo)

Town refers to both a local administrative unit and a local public body. Similar to the cities, the town has its own elected mayor and assembly. Towns and villages can be promoted to the status of cities whenever their population exceeds 50,000. Cities can be downgraded to towns or villages once their population falls below 50,000. The prefectural government determines whether a municipality is a village, town, or city.

村 ရွာ

Population: 406 (tonaki) to 3061 (Totsukawa)

Villages, local public bodies, or local administrative units are within a prefecture. They are managed by a council of elders. They execute the functions notified by the prefectural government. The prefectural government receives orders and model by-laws from the Autonomy Board in Tokyo and other sources. The responsibilities of villages include self-governance, manufacturing, emergency management, taxation, supervising elections, task collection, distribution of labor and land, repairing and dredging of irrigation ditches, new home constructions, and road maintenance.

Content Writer by Win Win Maw