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Japanese Prefecutres Map

My map is here: PDF file (66KB) or PNG image file (120KB). Numbers in red are JARL prefectural numbers. There are 47 prefectures, i.e. 01-47. Hokkaido(01) has 14 subdirtricts 101-114. These subdistricts are not used for expressing addresses. JD1 (48-50) belong to Tokyo(10). These, 101-114 and 48-50 are used for JARL contests. Note that Okinawa(47) is at far southwest of Kagoshima(46), not as shown in the map.

JARL also provides a PDF file. Okinawa(47) is at `wrong' place in this map. It is more distant from Kagoshima(46).

Area Numbers

The `another' numbers (1 to 0 from north to south) are used only for some kind of radio stations, such as community FM broadcasting stations (20W or less) and event FM stations (operated temporarily).

District Amateur Other Another
Kanto 1*1 2 3 East of the barriers
Tokai 2 3 6 East Sea
Kinki [Kansai] 3 4 7 Near Kyoto [West of the barriers]
Chugoku 4 5 8 Central Countries
Shikoku 5 6 9 Four Countries
Kyushu 6*2*3 7 0 Nine States (though now seven pref's)
Okinawa JR6*2*3,
JS6*4
7 0 Thin islands lines like a rope at offshore
Tohoku 7 8 2 Northeast
Hokkaido 8 9 1 Northern Sea District
Hokuriku 9 3 5 Northern Land
Sin-etsu 0 2 4 Shinshu and Echigo*5
Ogasawara Is JD1*6 2 3 (name of discoverer)
Oki-no-tori-shima JD1,7J1*6 2 3 Bird Island at Offshore
Minami-tori-shima JD1*6 2 3 South Bird Island

Long ago, i.e. more than 1,000 years before, JA3 and JA6 were the most developed areas. So JA4 which is located between JA3 and JA6 was the center of old Japan, JA9 was northern countries and JA7,8 were 'far north' countries. After a shogun moved from JA3 to JA1 in 1192, the most developed areas have been JA1 and JA3, and several barriers were built between them.

Notes (especially for Amateur Radio)

  1. 7K1-4, 7L1-4, 7M1-4, 7N1-4 are assigned to JA1 district.
  2. JR6AAA-QQZ belong to JA6, JR6QUA-ZZZ are assinged to Okinawa(47).
  3. JR6AA-NZ, RL, YA-YZ are assigned to Okinawa(47). JR6RL is a JARL station, JR6YA-YZ are for repeaters. JR6VA-WZ are assigned to JA6 for repeaters.
  4. All JS6 are assigned to Okinawa(47).
  5. Old name of Nagano(09) and Niigata(08).
  6. All JD1 islands belong to Tokyo(10). 7J1 was used for Oki-no-tori-shima(49) around 1980.
  7. JA#AA-ZZ, JR#VA-WZ(repeaters) and Okinawa's *3 are for amateurs. JA-JS#A-Z, JB-JQ#AA-ZZ, JS#AA-ZZ are not for amateurs. For example, JOA-JOZ, JOAA-JOZZ are for broadcasting stations, and JO#A-Z, JO#AA-ZZ are for experimental broadcasting stations.

If you need more detailed, accurate or historical information for Japanese callsigns including professional stations, refer to callsign.jp.

Prefectures List

Pronunciation: (1) For most names, fisrt syllables are pronunciated strong and high. (2) Japanese has long and short vowels. For example, `a' and `ah' are same sound, only different in length. I wrote long vowels as `ah', `oh' in the `pronunciation' column.

KCJ code is used for KCJ (The Keymen's Club of Japan) contests.

#KCJNamePronunciation
JA8 HokkaidoHok kai doh
01HokkaidoHok kai doh
JA7 TohokuToh ho ku
02AMAomori
03ITIwate
04ATAkita
05YMYamagata
06MGMiyagi
07FSFukushima
08NINiigata
09NNNagano
10TKTokyoToh kyoh
11KNKanagawa
12CBChiba
13STSaitama
14IBIbaraki
15TGTochigi
16GMGunma
17YNYamanashi
18SOShizuoka
19GFGifu
20ACAichi
21MEMie
22KTKyotoKyoh to
23SGShiga
24NRNara
25OSOsakaOh saka
26WKWakayama
27HGHyogoHyoh go
28TYToyama
29FIFukui
30IKIshikawa
31OYOkayama
32SNShimane
33YGYamaguchi
34TTTottori
35HSHiroshima
36KAKagawa
37TSTokushima
38EHEhime
39KCKochiKoh chi
40FOFukuoka
41SGSaga
42NSNagasaki
43KMKumamoto
44OTOitaOh ita
45MZMiyazaki
46KGKagoshima
47ONOkinawa

TOPEmail to Kunihiko Nakano(c) DEC 27, 2009