Fukuoka Prefecture

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Fukuoka Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese 福岡県
 • Rōmaji Fukuoka-ken

Symbol of Fukuoka Prefecture
Coordinates: 33°36′N 130°35′E / 33.6°N 130.583°E / 33.6; 130.583Coordinates: 33°36′N 130°35′E / 33.6°N 130.583°E / 33.6; 130.583
Country Japan
Region Kyūshū
Island Kyūshū
Capital Fukuoka
Government
 • Governor Hiroshi Ogawa (since April 2011)
Area
 • Total 4,971.01 km2 (1,919.3 sq mi)
Area rank 29th
Population (September 1, 2010)
 • Total 5,071,732
 • Rank 9th
 • Density 1,020.26/km2 (2,642.5/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code JP-40
Districts 12
Municipalities 60
Flower Ume blossom (Prunus mume)
Tree Azalea (Rhododendron tsutsusi)
Bird Japanese Bush Warbler (Cettia diphone)
Website www.pref.fukuoka.lg.jp/somu/
multilingual/english/top.html

Fukuoka Prefecture (福岡県 Fukuoka-ken?) is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island.[1] The capital is the city of Fukuoka.[2]

Contents

[edit] History

Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen.[3]

Fukuoka Prefecture has signed Friendship Agreements with Bangkok (Thailand), Delhi (India), and Hanoi (Vietnam).

[edit] Geography

Fukuoka Prefecture faces the sea on three sides, bordering on Saga, Ōita, and Kumamoto prefectures and facing Yamaguchi Prefecture across the Kanmon Straits.

Fukuoka includes the two largest cities on Kyūshū, Fukuoka and Kitakyushu, and much of Kyūshū's industry. It also includes a number of small islands near the north coast of Kyūshū.

[edit] Cities

Twenty-eight cities are located in Fukuoka Prefecture:

[edit] Towns and villages

Map of Fukuoka Prefecture.

These are the towns and villages in each district.

[edit] Mergers

[edit] Economy

Fukuoka prefecture's main cities form one of Japan's main industrial centers, accounting for nearly 40% of the economy of Kyūshū. Major industries include automobiles, semiconductors, and steel. Fukuoka prefecture is noteworthy as the place where tire manufacturer Bridgestone[1] and consumer electronics chain Best Denki were founded.

[edit] Universities

Institution Location
Fukuoka University Fukuoka
Kurume University Kurume
Kyushu Institute of Technology Kitakyūshū and Iizuka
Kyushu University Fukuoka
Seinan Gakuin University Fukuoka
Kyushu Institute of Information Sciences   Dazaifu
Kyushu Sangyo University Higashi-ku
Fukuoka Women's University Higashi-ku

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Culture

  • Fukuoka Art Museum – In Ohori Park; contains a wide selection of contemporary and other art from around the world.
  • Fukuoka Asian Art Museum – contains art from various countries of Asia.
  • Fukuoka City Museum – displays a broad range of items from the region's history, including a spectacular gold seal.
  • Genko Historical Museum (元寇史料館; Museum of the Mongol Invasion) – In Higashi Koen (East Park); displays Japanese and Mongolian arms and armor from the 13th century as well as paintings on historical subjects. Open on weekends.
  • Hakata Machiya Folk Museum – Dedicated to displaying the traditional ways of life, speech, and culture of the Fukuoka region.

[edit] Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Fukuoka.

Football (soccer)
Baseball
Basketball
Rugby

The prefecture has two significant annual athletics events: the Fukuoka International Cross Country and the Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship. The marathon race has been held in Fukuoka since 1959 and has seen a number of world records broken during its history.[4]

[edit] Crime and safety

Fukuoka Prefecture has the largest number of designated yakuza groups among all of the prefectures, at 5; the Kudo-kai, the Taishu-kai, the Fukuhaku-kai, the Dojin-kai and the Kyushu Seido-kai.[5] Between 2004 and 2009, and in early 2011,[6] Japan's most gun-related incidents happened in Fukuoka Prefecture.[7] These incidents were mostly done by local yakuza syndicates, specifically the Kudo-kai, the Dojin-kai and the Kyushu Seido-kai.[6]

Fukuoka Prefecture has had the highest frequency of youth crime among all of the prefectures of Japan since 2003.[8]

[edit] Tourism

The most popular place for tourism is Fukuoka City, especially at the time of the Dontaku festival, and Dazaifu, although Kitakyūshū has also tried to attract tourists.

[edit] Transportation

Train

[edit] Sister regions

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fukuoka-ken" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 218 at Google Books.
  2. ^ Nussbaum, "Fukuoka" in p. 218 at Google Books.
  3. ^ Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" in p. 780 at Google Books.
  4. ^ Nakamura, Ken. Marathon - A history of the Fukuoka International Marathon Championships by K. Ken Nakamura - Part 1 1947-1966. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-02-28.
  5. ^ "Retrospection and Outlook of Crime Measure", p.15, Masahiro Tamura, 2009, National Police Agency (Japanese)
  6. ^ a b "Gunfire, The worst in the nation, None has been solved", 23 June 2011, Nishinippon Shimbun (Japanese)
  7. ^ "Fukuoka yakuza groups tackle police pressure in all-out war", 4 May 2010, The Tokyo Reporter, from Friday May 14, p.22-23 (Japanese)
  8. ^ 非行防げ、捜査員奮闘…少年犯罪全国ワースト1の福岡 - Yomiuri Shimbun (Japanese)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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