Ishikawa Prefecture (石川県, Ishikawa-ken) is a prefectureofJapan located in the Chūbu regionofHonshu island.[2] Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,133,294 (1 October 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,186 km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the east, Gifu Prefecture to the southeast, and Fukui Prefecture to the south.
Ishikawa Prefecture
石川県
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|---|---|
| Japanese transcription(s) | |
| • Japanese | 石川県 |
| • Rōmaji | Ishikawa-ken |
Kenroku-en Landscape Garden in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The pine trees are covered by the yukitsuri, preventing them from falling in winter when it snows heavily
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Flag 
Symbol | |
| Anthem: Ishikawa kenmin no uta | |
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| Coordinates: 36°35′42″N 136°37′30″E / 36.595°N 136.625°E / 36.595; 136.625 | |
| Country |  Japan |
| Region | Chūbu Hokuriku |
| Island | Honshu |
| Capital | Kanazawa |
| Subdivisions | Districts: 5, Municipalities: 19 |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Hiroshi Hase (from March 2022) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4,186.09 km2 (1,616.26 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 35th |
| Population
(October 1, 2020)
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| • Total | 1,133,294 |
| • Rank | 34th |
| • Density | 270.73/km2 (701.2/sq mi) |
| • Dialects | Kaga・Noto |
| GDP | |
| • Total | JP¥ 4,779 billion US$ 43.8 billion (2019) |
| ISO 3166 code | JP-17 |
| Website | [1] |
| Symbols of Japan | |
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| Bird | Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) |
| Flower | Black lily (Fritillaria camtschatcensis) |
| Tree | Hiba (Thujopsis dolabrata) |
Kanazawa is the capital and largest city of Ishikawa Prefecture, with other major cities including Hakusan, Komatsu, and Kaga.[3] Ishikawa is located on the Sea of Japan coast and features most of the Noto Peninsula which forms Toyama Bay, one of the largest bays in Japan. Ishikawa Prefecture is part of the historic Hokuriku region and formerly an important populated center that contained some of the wealthiest han (domains) of the Japanese feudal era. Ishikawa Prefecture is home to Kanazawa Castle, Kenroku-en one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, Nyotaimori ("body sushi"), and Kutani ware.
Ishikawa was formed in 1872 from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province.[4]
Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast. The northern part of the prefecture consists of the narrow Noto Peninsula, while the southern part is wider and consists mostly of mountains with the prefecture's chief city, Kanazawa, located in the coastal plain. The prefecture also has some islands, including Notojima, Mitsukejima, Hegurajima.
As of 1 April 2012[update], 13% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Hakusan National Park; Echizen-Kaga Kaigan and Noto Hantō Quasi-national parks; and five prefectural natural parks.[5]
The cities of Ishikawa are:
Towns are grouped into five districts, which are geographical and not governmental:
Hakusan白山市
Kaga加賀市
Kahokuかほく市
Kanazawa (capital)金沢市
Komatsu小松市
Nanao七尾市
Nomi能美市
Nonoichi野々市市
Suzu珠洲市
Wajima輪島市
Anamizu穴水町
Hōdatsushimizu宝達志水町
Kawakita川北町
Nakanoto中能登町
Noto能登町
Shika志賀町
Tsubata津幡町
Uchinada内灘町
Ishikawa's industry is dominated by the textile industry, particularly artificial fabrics, and the machine industry, particularly construction machinery.
Ishikawa Prefecture has an area of 4,186.09 km2 and, as of 1 April 2011[update], it has a population of 1,166,643 persons.[citation needed]
| Data | Unit | Statistics |
|---|---|---|
| Area | km2 | 4,186.09 |
| Population | Persons | 1,166,643 |
| Population density | Persons per km2 | 278.72 |
| Number of households | Households | 441,980 |
| Income per person | Thousand yen | 2,707 |
| Power consumed | Kwh per household | 6,446 |
| Number of doctors | Physicians per
100,000 people |
249 |
On the 1 January 2024, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Ishikawa Prefecture, specifically the Noto Peninsula. Ishikawa reported 232 fatalities and 22 missing people. Overall it is estimated that 1,200 people were injured across different prefectures.
The area is noted for arts and crafts and other cultural traditions:
The most popular destination in Ishikawa is Kanazawa. Tourists can get to Ishikawa by plane via either the Komatsu or Noto airports. Popular sites include:
Ishikawa has a number of universities:
The current governor of Ishikawa is Hiroshi Hase who was first elected in 2022. He defeated six time incumbent Masanori Tanimoto.[8] Prior to his defeat, Tanimoto was one of two governors who were in their sixth term nationwide, the other being Masaru Hashimoto of Ibaraki. Hase is only the fifth governor of Ishikawa since 1947 when prefectural governors became elected offices, as Tanimoto had held the governorship for twenty eight years, first coming to office in 1994, succeeding Yōichi Nakanishi, who had served from 1963 until his death in 1994.
The Ishikawa Prefectural Assembly [ja] has 43 members and is elected in unified local elections (last round: 2011) in 15 SNTV electoral districts – six single-member, five two-member, one three-member, two four-member districts and the Kanazawa City district that elects 16 members. As of February 26, 2014, the LDP prefectural assembly caucus has 25 members and no other group has more than four members.[9]
In the National Diet, Ishikawa is represented by three directly elected members of the House of Representatives and two (one per election) of the House of Councillors. Additional members from the prefecture may be elected in the proportional representation segments of both houses: the Hokuriku-Shin'etsu proportional representation block in the lower house, the proportional election to the upper house is nationwide. After the Diet elections of 2010, 2012 and 2013, the five directly elected members from Ishikawa districts are all Liberal Democrats, namely:
Ishikawa travel guide from Wikivoyage
