Wakayama Prefecture

Template:Short description Template:Infobox settlement

Template:Nihongo is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu.<ref>Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Wakayama prefecture" in Template:Google books; "Kansai" in Template:Google books.</ref>Template:Rp Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 876,030 (Template:As of) and a geographic area of Template:Convert. Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture to the northeast.

Wakayama is the capital and largest city of Wakayama Prefecture, with other major cities including Tanabe, Hashimoto, and Kinokawa.<ref>Nussbaum, "Wakayama" in Template:Google books.</ref>Template:Rp Wakayama Prefecture is located on the southwestern coast of the Kii Peninsula on the Kii Channel, connecting the Pacific Ocean and Seto Inland Sea, across from Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku.

History

Template:See also Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.<ref>Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" in Template:Google books.</ref>

1953 flood disaster

Template:Main On July 17–18, 1953, a torrential heavy rain occurred, followed by collapse of levees, river flooding and landslides in a wide area. Many bridges and houses were destroyed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to an officially confirmed report by the Government of Japan, 1,015 people died, with 5,709 injured and 7,115 houses lost.Template:Citation needed

Geography

File:Map of Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg

Map of Wakayama Prefecture.
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As of 31 March 2020, 13 percent of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Setonaikai and Yoshino-Kumano National Parks; Kongō-Ikoma-Kisen and Kōya-Ryūjin Quasi-National Parks; and Enju Kaigan, Hatenashi Sanmyaku, Hikigawa, Jōgamori Hokodai, Kōyasanchō Ishimichi-Tamagawakyō, Kozagawa, Nishiarida, Oishi Kōgen, Ōtōsan, Ryūmonzan, Shiramisan-Wadagawakyō, and Shirasaki Kaigan Prefectural Natural Parks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Cities

Template:See also Nine cities are in Wakayama Prefecture:

Name		Area (km²)	Population	Map
Rōmaji	Kanji	Area (km²)	Population	Map
File:Flag of Arida, Wakayama.svg Arida	有田市	36.91	27,963	File:Arida in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Gobo, Wakayama.svg Gobō	御坊市	43.78	27,483	File:Gobo in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Hashimoto, Wakayama.svg Hashimoto	橋本市	130.31	62,941	File:Hashimoto in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Iwade, Wakayama.svg Iwade	岩出市	38.5	53,280	File:Iwade in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Kainan, Wakayama.svg Kainan	海南市	101.18	51,112	File:Kainan in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Kinokawa, Wakayama.svg Kinokawa	紀の川市	228.24	61,850	File:Kinokawa in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Shingu, Wakayama.svg Shingū	新宮市	255.43	26,815	File:Shingu in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Tanabe, Wakayama.svg Tanabe	田辺市	1,026.91	70,410	File:Tanabe in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Wakayama, Wakayama.svg Wakayama (capital)	和歌山市	210.25	360,664	File:Wakayama in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Name		Area (km²)	Population	District	Type	Map
Rōmaji	Kanji	Area (km²)	Population	District	Type	Map
File:Flag of Aridagawa, Wakayama.svg Aridagawa	有田川町	351.77	26,245	Arida District	Town	File:Aridagawa in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Hidaka, Wakayama.svg Hidaka	日高町	46.42	7,666	Hidaka District	Town	File:Hidaka in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Hidakagawa, Wakayama.svg Hidakagawa	日高川町	331.61	9,615	Hidaka District	Town	File:Hidakagawa in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Hirogawa, Wakayama.svg Hirogawa	広川町	65.35	7,059	Arida District	Town	File:Hirogawa in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Inami Wakayama.svg Inami	印南町	113.63	7,949	Hidaka District	Town	File:Inami in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Kamitonda Wakayama.svg Kamitonda	上富田町	57.49	15,047	Nishimuro District	Town	File:Kamitonda in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Katsuragi, Wakayama.svg Katsuragi	かつらぎ町	151.73	16,686	Ito District	Town	File:Katsuragi in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Kimino Wakayama.svg Kimino	紀美野町	128.31	8,989	Kaisō District	Town	File:Kimino in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Kitayama Wakayama.svg Kitayama	北山村	48.21	432	Higashimuro District	Village	File:Kitayama in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Koya, Wakayama.svg Kōya	高野町	137.08	3,279	Ito District	Town	File:Koya in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Kozagawa, Wakayama.svg Kozagawa	古座川町	294.52	2,749	Higashimuro District	Town	File:Kozagawa in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Kudoyama, Wakayama.svg Kudoyama	九度山町	44.19	4,295	Ito District	Town	File:Kudoyama in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Kushimoto, Wakayama.svg Kushimoto	串本町	135.78	16,243	Higashimuro District	Town	File:Kushimoto in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Mihama Wakayama.svg Mihama	美浜町	12.79	7,391	Hidaka District	Town	File:Mihama in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Minabe, Wakayama.svg Minabe	みなべ町	120.26	12,561	Hidaka District	Town	File:Minabe in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Nachikatsuura, Wakayama.svg Nachikatsuura	那智勝浦町	183.45	17,261	Higashimuro District	Town	File:Nachikatsuura in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Shirahama Wakayama.svg Shirahama	白浜町	201.04	23,325	Nishimuro District	Town	File:Shirahama in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Susami, Wakayama.svg Susami	すさみ町	174.71	4,011	Nishimuro District	Town	File:Susami in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Taiji, Wakayama.svg Taiji	太地町	5.96	3,428	Higashimuro District	Town	File:Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Yuasa Wakayama.svg Yuasa	湯浅町	20.8	11,960	Arida District	Town	File:Yuasa in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Yura, Wakayama.svg Yura	由良町	30.74	5,738	Hidaka District	Town	File:Yura in Wakayama Prefecture Ja.svg

Mergers

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Demographics

File:Wakayama prefecture population pyramid in 2020.svg

Wakayama prefecture population pyramid in 2020

Since 1996, population of Wakayama Prefecture has kept declining, and since 2010, it has been the only prefecture in Kansai region with population below 1,000,000. In 2017, Wakayama is ranked 40th by population in Japan with a population of 944,320. In the 2020 census, close to 32% of the population was over 65 years of age - the highest percentage in Japan and one of the highest for national subdivisions worldwide.<ref>2020 population census of Japan. https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kokusei/2020/summary.html</ref>

Politics

Template:See also The current governor Shūhei Kishimoto was elected on 27 November 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Prefectural assembly

As of 17 May 2023<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Political party	Number of seats
Liberal Democratic Party	28
Reform Club (改新クラブ)	5
Komeito	3
Nippon Ishin no Kai	3
Japanese Communist Party	1
Independent society	1
Independent	1

List of governors of Wakayama

State-appointed governors: Template:Col-start Template:Col-2

Masaomi Tsuda (Template:Lang): from 25 November 1871 to 25 January 1872
Hidetomo Kitajima (Template:Lang): from 25 January 1872 to 13 October 1873
Kunikiyo Kōyama (Template:Lang): from 13 October 1873 to 20 October 1873
Kanae Matsumoto (Template:Lang): from 20 October 1873 to 26 December 1889
Tadaakira Ishii (Template:Lang): from 26 December 1889 to 9 April 1891
Sadaaki Senda (Template:Lang): from 9 April 1891 to 15 January 1892
Morikata Oki (Template:Lang): from 15 January 1892 to 7 April 1897
Kan'ichi Kubota (Template:Lang): from 7 April 1897 to 8 October 1898
Masaaki Nomura (Template:Lang): from 8 October 1898 to 7 April 1899
Hisashi Ogura (Template:Lang): from 7 April 1899 to 25 October 1900
Shin'ichirō Tsubaki (Template:Lang): from 25 October 1900 to 29 June 1903
Ienori Kiyosu (Template:Lang): from 29 June 1903 to 11 January 1907
Takio Izawa (Template:Lang): from 11 January 1907 to 30 July 1909
Chikaharu Kawakami (Template:Lang): from 30 July 1909 to 4 September 1911
Takeji Kawamura (Template:Lang): from 4 September 1911 to 9 June 1914
Kogorō Kanokogi (Template:Lang): from June 1914 to 17 December 1917
Tokikazu Ikematsu (Template:Lang): from 17 December 1917 to 3 February 1920
Shinzō Obara (Template:Lang): from 3 February 1920 to 6 June 1923
Yoshibumi Satake (Template:Lang): from 6 June 1923 to 24 June 1924

Template:Col-2

Kyūichi Hasegawa (Template:Lang): from 24 June 1924 to 22 March 1927
Tokutarō Shimizu (Template:Lang): from 22 March 1927 to 17 May 1927
Umekichi Miyawaki (Template:Lang): from 17 May 1927 to 17 November 1927
Taeru Node (Template:Lang): from 17 November 1927 to 5 July 1929
Senzō Tomobe (Template:Lang): from 5 July 1929 to 26 August 1930
Toshikatsu Kurahara (Template:Lang): from 26 August 1930 to 18 December 1931
Toshiki Karasawa (Template:Lang): from 18 December 1931 to 28 July 1932
Ryōsaku Shimizu (Template:Lang): from 28 July 1932 to 10 November 1934
Nagakazu Fujioka (Template:Lang): from 10 November 1934 to 22 April 1936
Tokiji Yoshinaga (Template:Lang): from 22 April 1936 to 11 January 1939
Shigeo Shimizu (Template:Lang): from 11 January 1939 to 15 October 1940
Jirō Imamatsu (Template:Lang): from 15 October 1940 to 20 October 1941
Seizō Hirose (Template:Lang): from 20 October 1941 to 1 August 1944
Chiaki Kobayashi (Template:Lang): from 1 August 1944 to 27 October 1945
Uichirō Koike (Template:Lang): from 27 October 1945 to 25 January 1946
Masao Kanai (Template:Lang): from 25 January 1946 to 8 July 1946
Wakichi Kawakami (Template:Lang): from 8 July 1946 to 28 February 1947
Yoshimaro Takahashi (Template:Lang): from 28 February 1947 to 15 April 1947

Template:Col-end Publicly-elected governors: Template:Col-start Template:Col-2

Shinji Ono (Template:Lang): from 19 April 1947 to 22 April 1967
Masao Ohashi (Template:Lang): from 23 April 1967 to 4 October 1975
Shiro Kariya (Template:Lang): from 23 November 1975 to 22 November 1995
Isamu Nishiguchi (Template:Lang): from 23 November 1995 to 13 July 2000

Template:Col-2

Yoshiki Kimura (Template:Lang): from 3 September 2000 to 2 December 2006
Yoshinobu Nisaka (Template:Lang): from 17 December 2006 to 16 December 2022
Shūhei Kishimoto (Template:Lang): from 17 December 2022 to 15 April 2025
Izumi Miyazaki (Template:Lang): from 15 April 2025 to present

Template:Col-end

Culture

Template:Nihongo in the Ito District is the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. It is home to one of the first Japanese style Buddhist temples in Japan and remains a pilgrimage site and an increasingly popular tourist destination as people flock to see its ancient temples set amidst the towering cedar trees at the top of the mountain. The Sacred sites and pilgrimage routes in the Kii Mountain Range extend for miles throughout the prefecture and together have been recognized as Japan's 11th UNESCO World Heritage Site.<ref>UNESCO.org</ref>

The Kumano Shrines are on the southern tip of the prefecture. Tomogashima (a cluster of four islands) is part of the prefecture.

Agriculture

Orange

Wakayama Prefecture ranks first in the production of oranges in Japan. Wakayama has its own brand of oranges, which is produced in Arida District and called 'Arida-Orange'. Arida District, where oranges have been produced for more than 400 years,<ref>今月の旬 Wakayama Prefecture website, accessed May 31, 2017</ref> yields about half of the orange crops in Wakayama today.<ref>農林水産　特産品 Wakayama Prefecture website, accessed May 31, 2017</ref> Furthermore, the yield of Arida-Oranges accounts for about 10 percent of Japanese domestic production of oranges.<ref>有田みかんについて　JA Arida website, accessed May 31, 2017</ref>

Chinese flowering plum (Ume)

According to the survey by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, Wakayama stands first in the production of Chinese flowering plum, or ume in Japanese, in Japan. As of 2016, Wakayama made up about 70 percent of Japanese domestic production of ume.<ref>作況調査（果樹）：　農林水産省 The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website, accessed June 1, 2017</ref>

International relations

Wakayama Prefecture has friendship and sister relationships with six places outside Japan:<ref>友好・姉妹提携 Template:Webarchive Wakayama Prefecture website, retrieved May 16, 2008</ref>