what is prefecture in japan

Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, which are the countrys first level of jurisdiction and administrative division. They include 43 prefectures proper (県, ken), two urban prefectures (府, fu: Osaka and Kyoto), one regional prefecture (道, dō: Hokkaidō) and one metropolis (都, to: Tokyo). The elected governor is the chief executive of each prefecture, and each prefecture is subdivided into cities (市 shi) and districts (郡 gun), then the district is further subdivided into towns (町 chō or machi) and villages (村 son or mura). The prefectures were created following the Meiji restoration of 1868, often with borders matching the provinces that existed up through the Edo period (1603–1868). The standard order used in Japanese to list the prefectures runs from north to south, more or less, rather than using kana order. The 47 prefectures are divided into nine regions: Hokkaido (island), Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku (in Honshu island), Shikoku (island), and Kyushu (including Kyushu and Okinawa islands).