Осакская префектура: история, география и современность.

Prefecture of Japan

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 (as of 2022) and has a geographic area of Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara Prefecture to the southeast, and Wakayama Prefecture to the south. Osaka is the capital and largest city of Osaka Prefecture, and the third largest city in Japan, with other major cities including Sakai, Higashiōsaka, and Hirakata. Osaka Prefecture is located on the western coast of the Kii Peninsula, forming the western is open to Osaka Bay. Osaka Prefecture is the third most populous prefecture, but by geographic area the second smallest; at it is the second most densely populated, below only Tokyo. Osaka Prefecture is one of Japan's two "urban prefectures" using the designation fu (府) rather than the standard ken for prefectures, along with Kyoto Prefecture. Osaka Prefecture forms the center of the Keihanshin metropolitan area, the second most populated urban region in Japan after the Greater Tokyo area and one of the world's most productive regions by GDP.

Prior to the Meiji Restoration, the modern day area of Osaka Prefecture was split between Kawachi, Izumi, and Settsu provinces. Osaka Prefecture was created on June 21, 1868, at the very beginning of the Meiji era. During the instigation of Fuhanken Sanchisei in 1868, the prefecture received its suffix fu, designating it as a prefecture. On September 1, 1956, the city of Osaka was promoted to a city designated by government ordinance and thereby divided into 24 wards. Sakai became the second city in the prefecture to be promoted to a city designated by government ordinance on April 1, 2006, and was divided into seven wards. In 2000, Fusae Ota became Japan's first female governor when she replaced Knock Yokoyama, who resigned after prosecution for sexual harassment. Tōru Hashimoto, previously famous as a counselor on television, was elected in 2008 at the age of 38, becoming the youngest governor in Japan. On June 18, 2018, an earthquake struck the northern region of the prefecture. It killed 4 people and caused minor damage across Greater Osaka.

In 2010, the Osaka Restoration Association was created with backing by Governor Tōru Hashimoto, with hopes of reforming Osaka Prefecture into the Osaka Metropolis and merging with the City of Osaka.

Osaka Prefecture neighbors the prefectures of Hyōgo and Kyoto in the north, Nara in the east and Wakayama in the south. The Yodo and Yamato Rivers flow through the prefecture. Prior to the construction of Kansai International Airport, Osaka was the smallest prefecture in Japan. The artificial island on which the airport was built added enough area to make it slightly larger than Kagawa Prefecture. As of 1 April 2012, 11% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely Kongō Ikoma Kisen and Meiji no Mori Minō Quasi National Parks and Hokusetsu and Hannan Misaki Prefectural Natural Parks.

Since 2005, Osaka consists of 43 municipalities: 33 cities, nine towns and one village. As of 2021, the 33 cities include two designated major cities, seven core cities and two (transitional) special case cities (after legal abolition in 2015, to be replaced with the core city system in the 2020s). Flag, name w/o suffix Full name District( gun)Area (km2)PopulationMap LPE code(w/o pref. [27 ],checksum [ x]) Japanese transcription translation Daitō大東市 Daitō shi Daitō City –18.27119,329 218 Fujidera藤井寺市 Fujidera shi Fujidera City –8.8965,075 226 Habikino羽曳野市 Habikino shi Habikino City –26.44113,256 222 Hannan阪南市 Hannan shi Hannan City –36.155,798 232 Higashiōsaka東大阪市 Higashi Ōsaka shi Higashi Osaka City(East Osaka City) –61.78495,011 227 Hirakata枚方市 Hirakata shi Hirakata City –65.08401,449 210 Ibaraki茨木市 Ibaraki shi Ibaraki City –76.52280,562 211 Ikeda池田市 Ikeda shi Ikeda City –22.09103,028 204 Izumi和泉市 Izumi shi Izumi City –84.98186,370 219 Izumiōtsu泉大津市 Izumi Ōtsu shi Izumi Ōtsu City(as opposed to Ōtsu City in Ōmi Province) –13.3675,398 206 Izumisano泉佐野市 Izumi Sano shi Izumi Sano City(as opposed to Sano City in Shimotsuke Province) –55.03 100,649 213 Kadoma門真市 Kadoma shi Kadoma City –12.28124,516 223 Kaizuka貝塚市 Kaizuka shi Kaizuka City –43.9988,345 208 Kashiwara柏原市 Kashiwara shi Kashiwara City –25.3976,383 221 Katano交野市 Katano shi Katano City –25.5576,383 230 Kawachinagano河内長野市 Kawachi Nagano shi Kawachi Nagano City(as opposed to Nagano City in Shinano Province) –109.61105,872 216 Kishiwada岸和田市 Kishiwada shi Kishiwada City –72.68197,629 202 Matsubara松原市 Matsubarashi Matsubara City –16.66121,125 217 Minoh箕面市 Minoo shi Minoo City –47.84134,435 220 Moriguchi守口市 Moriguchi shi Moriguchi City –12.73143,877 209 Neyagawa寝屋川市 Neyagawa shi Neyagawa City –24.73236,758 215 Osaka (capital)大阪市 Ōsaka shi Osaka City –225.212,668,586 100 Ōsakasayama大阪狭山市 Ōsaka Sayama shi Osaka Sayama City(as opposed to Sayama City in Saitama) –11.8657,993 231 Sakai堺市 Sakai shi Sakai City –149.82828,741 140 Sennan泉南市 Sennan shi Sennan City(Sen[shū] South City)(after Sennan District) –48.4862,076 228 Settsu摂津市 Settsu shi Settsu City –14.8885,290 224 Shijōnawate四條畷市 Shijōnawate shi Shijōnawate City –18.7455,832 229 Suita吹田市 Suita shi Suita City –36.11378,322 205 Takaishi高石市 Takaishi shi Takaishi City –11.3556,583 225 Takatsuki高槻市 Takatsuki shi Takatsuki City –105.31350,914 207 Tondabayashi富田林市 Tondabayashi shi Tondabayashi City –39.66112,993 214 Toyonaka豊中市 Toyonaka shi Toyonaka City –36.38396,014 203 Yao八尾市 Yaoshi Yao City –41.71268,013 212 Chihayaakasaka千早赤阪村 Chihaya Akasaka mura Chihaya Akasaka Village Minami (=South) Kawachi37.385,467 383 Kanan河南町 Kanan chō Kanan Town25.2616,027 382 Taishi太子町 Taishi chō Taishi Town14.17 13,634 381 Kumatori熊取町 Kumatori chō Kumatori Town Sennan (=Sen[shū] South)17.2343,988 361 Misaki岬町 Misakichō Misaki Town49.0816,267 366 Tajiri田尻町 Tajiri chō Tajiri Town4.968,377 362 Nose能勢町 Nose chō Nose Town Toyono98.689,971 322 Toyono豊能町 Toyono chō Toyono Town34.3719,519 321 Shimamoto島本町 Shimamoto chō Shimamoto Town Mishima16.7829,970 301 Tadaoka忠岡町 Tadaoka chō Tadaoka TownSenboku (=Sen[shū] North)4.0317,187 341 Osaka 大阪府 Ōsaka fu Osaka Prefecture – 1,905.14 8,823,358000ISO: JP 27

After the modern reactivation of districts in 1878/79, Osaka, including Sakai which was only merged into Osaka in 1881, consisted of 5 urban districts ( ku) and 27 rural districts ( gun), excluding 15 districts in Yamato Province which was later separated from Osaka as Nara Prefecture in 1887. When the prefectures were subdivided into modern municipalities in 1889, the five urban districts were turned into two district independent cities: Osaka City and Sakai City, and Osaka's [rural] districts were subdivided into 12 towns and 310 villages. After Osaka City had absorbed many surrounding municipalities in the interwar/Taishō period, the number of municipalities in Osaka had already dropped to 149 by 1953. The Great Shōwa mergers of the 1950s reduced the total to 47 by 1961, including 26 cities by then. The current total of 43 was reached during the Great Heisei mergers in 2005.

The gross prefecture product of Osaka for the fiscal year 2004 was ¥38.7 trillion, second after Tokyo with an increase of 0.9% from the previous year. This represented approximately 48% of the Kinki region. The per capita income was ¥3.0 million, seventh in the nation. Commercial sales the same year was ¥60.1 trillion. Overshadowed by such globally renowned electronics giants as Panasonic and Sharp, the other side of Osaka's economy can be characterized by its Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) activities. The number of SMEs based in Osaka in 2006 was 330,737, accounting for 99.6% of the total number of businesses in the prefecture. While this proportion is similar to other prefectures (the average nationwide was 99.7%), the manufactured output of the SMEs amounted to 65.4% of the total within the prefecture, a rate significantly higher than Tokyo's 55.5%, or Kanagawa's 38.4%. One model from Osaka of serving the public interest and restimulating the regional economy, combined with industry education cooperation efforts, is the Astro Technology SOHLA, with its artificial satellite project. Having originally started from a gathering of Higashiosaka based SMEs, Astro Technology SOHLA has not only grown into a Kansai region wide group but has also won support from the government, through technology and material support from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and financial support from NEDO. The Osaka Securities Exchange, specializing in derivatives such as Nikkei 225 Futures, is based in Osaka. There are many electrical, chemical, pharmaceutical, heavy industry, food, and housing companies in Osaka Prefecture.

According to the 2005 Population Census of Japan, Osaka prefecture has a population of 8,817,166, an increase of 12,085, or 0.14%, since the Census of year 2000. As of 2020 this prefecture has about 99,000 ethnic Korean persons, the largest such population of any prefecture in Japan. Osaka City. As of 2013 most ethnic Korean children attend ordinary Japanese public schools, although some Korean schools operated by the Chongryon and classes for ethnic Koreans had opened in the prefecture. During the Japanese rule of Korea many ethnic Koreans came to the Osaka area to look for work. Many people from Jeju came to the Osaka area after a 1922 ferry line between Osaka and Jeju opened. During World War II Japanese authorities forced additional ethnic Koreans to move to the Osaka area.

Public elementary and junior high schools in the prefecture are operated by the municipalities. Public high schools are operated by the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education.

The Expo Commemoration Park (Suita) held the Expo '70. It is about 260 ha and includes a Japanese garden, National Museum of Art, Osaka, and the amusement park "Expoland". Hattori Ryokuchi Park (Toyonaka), about 150 ha. Tsurumi Ryokuchi Park (Osaka), about 100 ha. The horticulture exposition of Expo '90 was held here. Nagai Park (Osaka), about 66 ha. The IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in 2007 at Nagai Stadium in this park. Osaka Castle Park (Osaka), about 106 ha. Nakanoshima Park (Osaka), housing the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, public hall, Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library, and the city hall of Osaka. Yamadaike Park (Osaka), about 73.7 ha. Osaka Prefectural Park (Hirakata), operated by Osaka Prefecture.

The sports teams listed below are based in Osaka.

The symbol of Osaka Prefecture, called the sennari byōtan or "thousand gourds", was originally the crest of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the feudal lord of Osaka Castle.