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76-613: Chiba is the capital and largest city of Chiba Prefecture, with other major cities including Funabashi , Matsudo , Ichikawa and Kashiwa . Chiba Prefecture is located on Japan's eastern Pacific coast to the east of Tokyo, and is part of the Greater Tokyo Area , the most populous metropolitan area in the world. Chiba Prefecture largely consists of the Bōsō Peninsula , which encloses the eastern side of Tokyo Bay and separates it from Kanagawa Prefecture . Chiba Prefecture

152-449: A Designated City of Japan on April 1, 1992. Per Japanese census data, Chiba's population has expanded significantly over the past 70 years. As of February 2016, the city had an estimated population of 972,861 and a population density of 3,580 persons per km . The total area of the city is 271.76 km (104.93 sq mi). There were 19,135 registered foreign residents in the city as of March 31, 2007, constituting about 2% of

228-574: A humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfa ) with hot summers and cool to mild winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is somewhat lower in winter. One of the many points of interest is the Experimental Station for Landscape Plants . Chiba plays host to the annual International Chiba Ekiden and the Chiba International Cross Country takes place just outside

304-777: A branch of the Taira clan , which moved to the area in present-day Chiba City in the late Heian period . The branch of the Taira adopted the name and became the Chiba clan , and held strong influence over the area of the prefecture until the Azuchi–Momoyama period . The name "Chiba" was chosen for the prefecture at the time its creation in 1873 by the Assembly of Prefectural Governors ( 地方官会議 , Chihō Kankai Kaigi ) , an early Meiji-period body of prefectural governors that met to decide

380-549: A process that continued until 1944. Large-scale land reclamation added to the area of the city throughout the 20th century. The city was a major center of military production leading up to the Pacific War, and the aerial bombing of Chiba in 1945. The city was almost completely destroyed by the end of the war. Post-war industrialization led to the city becoming a major part of the Keiyō Industrial Zone . Chiba became

456-509: A specialty product of Chiba: 78 per cent of the country's peanuts are produced in the prefecture. Chiba Prefecture leads the nation in the production of several vegetables, including carrots ; cabbage ; daikon radish ; negi , the ubiquitous Japanese cultivar of the Welsh onion ; loquat ; nashi , the Japanese cultivar of the pear , which has a two hundred-year history of cultivation in

532-484: Is 19.6 °C (67.3 °F), and the average low is 12.3 °C (54.1 °F). The Chiba Prefectural Board of Education oversees municipal school districts in the prefecture. The board also directly operates the prefecture's public high schools. Chiba Prefecture is home to one national-level museum and several prefectural and local museums. The National Museum of Japanese History is located in Sakura and focuses on

608-585: Is amongst the country's tenth largest at more than 10,000 members (including the Narita airport police). As in every prefecture, the police are supervised by the public safety commission; its five members are appointed by the governor with approval by the assembly. Chiba Prefecture has a sister city relationship with: 35°36′18″N 140°07′24″E  /  35.60500°N 140.12333°E  / 35.60500; 140.12333 Chiba (city) Chiba ( 千葉市 , Chiba-shi , pronounced [tɕiꜜba] )

684-433: Is divided into 54 contiguous municipalities (see list above): 37 cities, 16 towns and one village, as in all of postwar Japan each with a directly elected mayor and assembly. The most populous and Chiba's only designated major city is the capital Chiba City . Two cities, Funabashi and Kashiwa, are core cities . After late 20th century mergers, much of the rest of the prefecture is also organized in independent cities : Of

760-493: Is employed in the service sector, with 25% in industry and 5% in agriculture. Chiba Prefecture has a humid subtropical climate ( Koppen Cfa ) with hot, humid summers and mild, cool winters. The tsuyu rainy season occurs for approximately 50 days from June to July. According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency , the average of annual temperature is 15.7 °C (60.3 °F). The average high

836-599: Is famous for the Chiba Urban Monorail , the longest suspended monorail in the world. Some popular destinations in the city include: Kasori Shell Midden, the largest shell mound in the world at 134,000 m (160,000 sq yd), Inage Beach, the first artificial beach in Japan which forms part of the longest artificial beach in Japan, and the Chiba Zoological Park , popular on account of

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912-432: Is home to Chiba Port , which handles one of the highest volumes of cargo in Japan. Much of the city is residential, although there are many factories and warehouses along the coast. There are several major urban centres in the city, including Makuhari , a prime waterfront business district in which Makuhari Messe is located, and Central Chiba, in which the prefectural government office and the city hall are located. Chiba

988-536: Is home to Narita International Airport , the Tokyo Disney Resort , and the Keiyō Industrial Zone . The name of Chiba Prefecture in Japanese is formed from two kanji characters. The first, 千 , means "thousand" and the second, 葉 means "leaf". The name first appears as an ancient kuni no miyatsuko , or regional command office, as the Chiba Kuni no Miyatsuko ( 千葉国造 ) . The name was adopted by

1064-479: Is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture , Japan. It sits about 40 kilometres (25 mi) east of the centre of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay . The city became a government-designated city in 1992. In June 2019, its population was 979,768, with a population density of 3,605 people per km . The city has an area of 271.77 square kilometres (104.93 sq mi). Chiba City is one of the Kantō region 's primary seaports, and

1140-819: The Chiba Prefectural Board of Education and two public high schools operated by the Chiba City Board of Education, including Inage Senior High School . There are also nine private high schools, including the Makuhari Junior and Senior High School . Chiba has 114 public and one private elementary school and 59 public and one private middle school. Chiba City is twinned with: Kokushi (officials) Kokushi ( 国司 , also read Kuni no tsukasa ) were provincial officials in Classical Japan . They were nobles sent from

1216-783: The Chiba Prefectural Otone Museum in Katori focuses on the culture of the Tone River basin. The reconstructed Japanese castles of Sekiyado and Ōtaki host regional historical museums. The Chiba Museum of Science and Industry is located in Ichikawa on the site of a former factory, and the Coastal Branch of Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba in Katsuura focuses on the marine environment of

1292-513: The Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area expanded greatly and became a source of income to the northeast and central areas of the prefecture. The expansion of agriculture in the central and southern regions of the prefecture was in contrast to the depopulation of these areas as a significant part of the population moved to the northeast of the prefecture as a result of the urbanization of Japan, a process that continues into

1368-579: The Hotta clan stabilized the governance of their territory. Chiba prospered in this period as a shukuba ( 宿場 ) post-town of the Tokugawa shogunate . After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Chiba Prefecture was established in 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture. The border between Kisarazu and Inba was the location of Chiba Town and was thus chosen as the location of

1444-641: The House of Councillors . After the most recent Diet elections of 2010, 2012 and 2013, the prefecture is represented by eleven Liberal Democrats and two Democrats in the House of Representatives, and three Liberal Democrats, two Democrats, and one Your Party member in the House of Councillors. Current Diet members from Chiba include former prime minister Yoshihiko Noda (H.R., DPJ – 4th district) and former ministers Kuniko Inoguchi (H.C., LDP – class of 2010) and Motoo Hayashi (H.R., LDP – 10th district). As of 2014, Chiba

1520-541: The Inba Tega , Kasamori Tsurumai , Kujūkuri , Mineokasankei , Ōtone , Takagoyama , Tomisan , and Yōrō Keikoku Okukiyosumi Prefectural Natural Parks. Cities, towns, and villages in the prefecture also have designated and protected parklands. These parks are maintained for environmental protection as well as providing local recreational facilities. Since 2010, Chiba consists of 54 municipalities and since 2013, they are 37 cities , 16 towns and one village . With

1596-592: The Japanese Empire from attack. In September 1923, the Great Kanto earthquake has cause of widespread destruction in Chiba Prefecture, most notably in the southernmost part of Boso Peninsula , where 1,300 residents were killed, out of 142,000 deaths. Areas of prefecture adjacent to Tokyo saw much damage, and mob violence against Koreans and other ethnic minorities occurred in the chaos after

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1672-688: The Keisei Electric Railway 's Skyliner . The Tokyo Disney Resort is located in Urayasu near the western border of the prefecture. The Kamogawa Sea World is located in Kamogawa . There are also a number of tourist sites on the Chiba peninsula, such as Nokogiriyama ; Kujūkuri Beach ; and Onjuku beach . Since 2009, the prefectural governor is Eiji Suzuki, better known under his stage name as Kensaku Morita , former actor, member of

1748-520: The Keiyō Industrial Zone . Chiba Prefecture was settled in prehistoric times, as evidenced by the Jōmon period remains in every part of the region. The prefecture holds the largest kaizuka sea shell mounds in Japan, evidence of a large population in the prefecture that relied on the rich marine products of the Pacific Ocean and Tokyo Bay. Kofun burial mounds are found across the prefecture, with

1824-587: The Nara (710–794) and Heian (794–1185) periods. Shōen feudal estates were established across the three provinces, and the region became an important source of tax revenue, sending agricultural and other products to the capital in Kyoto. As the Heian period progressed, however, the kokushi provincial governors came to exert military power independent of the central government in Kyoto. The Chiba clan broke entirely with

1900-594: The Sakura ( 佐倉氏 ) clans governed the area now occupied by the city. A part of the area was also governed directly by the Tokugawa Bakufu . The Oyumi clan governed their territory stably. On the other hand, according to the Sakura clan, from the beginning of the Edo period , changed governors frequently, including Takeda Nobuyoshi , Matsudaira Tadateru , Ogasawara Yoshitsugu ( 小笠原吉次 ) , and Doi Toshikatsu . Finally

1976-458: The kokushi became a new category of manorial lords. As the Sesshō and Kampaku and Great Council Ministers were allowed to fill any vacant kami posts, and send their private deputies, the mokudai , to take care of the practical governing duties, the whole system of kokushi became increasingly corrupt. As the mokudai were also appointed from powerful local clans, the provincial government

2052-489: The kokushi . Due to the ever strengthening resistance, the kokushi returned to the safety of the central government in Kyoto and appointed an acting governor ( mokudai ), the daikan of the kokushi , who governed the province locally while the kokushi took the role of a supervisor. Following the establishment of local governments ( rusudokoro ) of the mokudai and the installation of provincial fiefdoms ( chigyōkoku ),

2128-513: The petroleum , chemical , and steel and machine industries . Together, these industries account for forty-five percent of the prefecture's exports. In recent years, the government has funded more than eighty industrial parks to bring development further inland as well. The prefecture also boasts Japan's overall second-highest agricultural output. Among all the prefectures, only Hokkaidō produces more agricultural products, and Chiba leads Hokkaidō in vegetable production. Peanuts are considered

2204-585: The ritsuryō system began to decline, the position of kokushi was seen as one type of income source. In September 826, princes of the Imperial Family were appointed as kokushi in Kazusa Province , Hitachi Province and Kōzuke Province . These kami -class kokushi were called taishu , and as they did not leave the capital and work at their assigned province, provinces with no local governor were born. In contrast to this, kami who left

2280-543: The shogun and shikken in contrast to the kokushi who were appointed by the Imperial Court. The shugo gradually usurped power away from the kokushi , becoming the de facto governors while the kokushi remained the de jure governors, though powerless titleholders in practice. Even after the abolishment of medieval manors, politically, the kokushi remained as an honorific title until Meiji Restoration in 1868. This Japanese history–related article

2356-466: The (today purely geographical) counties , only six remain, four of which have only one or two remaining towns or villages . After the reorganization of county and municipal governments in all prefectures in 1889/1890, there had initially been 12 counties and no city in Chiba; Chiba town in Chiba county became the first municipality in Chiba to be elevated to city status in 1921. While by far not as large as that of neighbouring Tokyo, Chiba's police force

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2432-562: The 21st century. On March 11, 2011, the epicenter of 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami and subsequent Fukushima nuclear disaster that devastated much of the northeastern coast of Honshu, which caused some damage and affected areas in Chiba Prefecture. While the loss of life and damage to housing and industry was far less than in Tōhoku region , 20 people were killed in Chiba Prefecture, including 13 people were recorded deaths in Asahi . Following

2508-619: The Chiba clan. The clan's power extended in the region until the Muromachi period . The Chiba clan's power and influence declined because of wars around the Kantō region during the Nanboku-chō and Muromachi periods . In the 16th century, the Hara clan , which were vassals of Chiba clan, took control of the region from the Chiba clan and built Inohana Castle . In the Sengoku period ,

2584-482: The City of Chiba offices. The archive maintains a collection of rare books and materials from across the prefecture, as well as materials related to the administration of Chiba Prefecture. Each municipality in the prefecture maintains a local libraries, and many shrines and temples maintain archival collections related to their institutions. The traditional diet of Chiba Prefecture is not fundamentally different from that of

2660-635: The Fukushima radiation). As a result of triple disaster and with permanent damage to housing stock, the population of Chiba Prefecture fell for the first time since Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 and Great Kanto earthquake in 1923. Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north at the Tone River, Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture to the west at the Edo River, the Pacific Ocean to

2736-739: The Hara clan was forcibly removed by Ashikaga Yoshiaki (足利義明, not to be confused with 足利義昭 ). Then, Ashikaga Yoshiaki was also removed by the Sakai (酒井 not to be confused with the Sakai clan in Mikawa ) clan, which was one of the servants of the Satomi (里見) clan. Finally both the Chiba and Sakai clans were annihilated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi . In the Edo period , the Oyumi ( 生実氏 ) , Morikawa ( 森川氏 ) clan, and

2812-470: The House of Representatives ( LDP /Independent – Tokyo 4th district) and member of the House of Councillors (Independent – Tokyo). He was reelected overwhelmingly to a second term as governor in the March 2013 election against only a Communist challenger and a minor, unaffiliated independent. The assembly of Chiba Prefecture has a regular membership of 95, elected in 45 electoral districts, currently still in

2888-682: The Japanese athletics calendar: the International Chiba Ekiden and the Chiba International Cross Country . The following sports teams are based in Chiba. Most Tokyo -bound visitors arriving on international flights land in Narita International Airport , which is situated in Narita in the north of the prefecture, and connected to Tokyo by the East Japan Railway 's Narita Express and

2964-430: The Pacific Ocean coast. Numerous other municipalities in the prefecture also host museums. The Chiba Prefectural Library consists of three libraries. The Chiba Prefectural Central Library is located in the central Chuō-ku ward of Chiba City directly southwest of Chiba Castle and in close proximity to the City of Chiba offices. The Central Library houses a general collection as well as the central research collection for

3040-416: The area as "takenoko sashimi". Futomaki or futomakizushi , literally "fat roll", is a large version of the sushi roll. The futomaki popularly made in Chiba Prefecture is up to 10 centimeters in diameter. Futomaki in Chiba Prefecture often utilize various ingredients to form a pattern, such as a flower or a kanji character, when the roll is cut and served. The prefecture plays host to two major events in

3116-493: The areas. Peanuts, grown in great quantities in the prefecture, appear fresh in markets in the prefecture and are eaten boiled as a snack. Miso paste mixed with peanuts is also produced in Chiba. Takenoko , whole bamboo shoot , are harvested in the central part of the Boso Peninsula. The takenoko of Ōtaki lack the concentration of arsenic typically found in uncooked bamboo shoots, and as such, are uniquely eaten raw in

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3192-427: The capital to occupy their local office became known as zuryō . After the 10th century, following the instability and dissolution of the ritsuryō system, the former duties of district governors ( gunji ) and lower officials were taken over by the kokushi , making the kokushi even more powerful. However, in response to the rising power of the kokushi , the district governors and commoners began fighting against

3268-593: The central government in Kyoto to oversee a province , a system that was established as part of the Taika Reform in 645, and enacted by the Ritsuryō system. There were four classes of kokushi , from the highest to the lowest: Kami (守), Suke (介), Jō (掾), and Sakan (目). In the Middle Ages, an acting governor called mokudai , the daikan of the kokushi , took over the local government of

3344-904: The city. Chiba Velodrome is located within the city. It also hosts the Bridgestone Open golf tournament. Chiba is home to several professional sports teams, most notably: There is no commercial airport within city limits. Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) are the closest major airports. The Chiba Urban Monorail runs through Chiba City. The major intercity railway stations are Chiba Station , ( Sobu Line , Sotobō Line , Uchibo Line , Sōbu Main Line , Narita Line , transfer for Chiba Urban Monorail ), Keisei Chiba Station ( Keisei Chiba Line ), and Soga Station , ( Keiyō Line , Sotobō Line , Uchibo Line ) all in Chūō-ku. Chiba has 20 public high schools operated by

3420-575: The coastal areas of the prefecture. After the United States took control of Saipan , the northern part of the prefecture (most notably the cities of Chiba and Chōshi) was firebombed . Much of the industrialized north of the prefecture was destroyed. Operation Coronet , one of two parts of Operation Downfall , was the planned land invasion of Tokyo in March 1946 by the United States. Coronet planned Kujūkuri Beach as one of two initial landing bases,

3496-442: The current 54 municipalities by 2010. Chiba Prefecture is home to one of Japan's largest industrial areas. Prior to World War II manufacturing in the prefecture was centered on the brewing industry , specifically the production of soy sauce , sake and mirin sweet cooking sake. The manufacturing sector expanded greatly after the war. The prefecture was chosen as the site for a major Kawasaki Steel factory in 1950. In

3572-456: The earthquake in Funabashi, Ichikawa , and other areas. Koreans, in several neighborhoods of Yachiyo, were killed, and a tower was erected in 1972 near Yachiyodai Station to memorialize those killed in the incident. In the 1930s, the north and central areas of the prefecture became a center of large-scale military production, and military bases and fortifications were constructed in most of

3648-555: The east and Tokyo Bay around its southern boundary. Most of Chiba lies on the hilly Boso Peninsula , a rice farming region: the east coast, known as the Kujūkuri Plain , is an especially productive area. The most populous zone, in the northwest of the prefecture, is part of the Kantō region that extends into the urban agglomeration of Tokyo and Saitama. The Kuroshio Current flows near Chiba, which keeps it relatively warm in winter and cooler in summer than neighbouring Tokyo. With

3724-465: The exception of the large-scale Keiyō Industrial Zone in the northeast, the entirety of the coast of Chiba Prefecture is protected as two quasi-national parks and one prefectural natural park under the national park system of Japan. As of 1 April 2012, 6% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks . Chiba Prefecture has designated and maintains eight prefectural natural parks to protect both natural and cultural areas, namely

3800-498: The four provincial classes ( dai , jō , chū , and ge ) it belonged to. They held considerable power, as they were in charge of the administration, finance, law, and military of the province. In the beginning, the term of office was six years, but later reduced to four years, with the exception of some special provinces. During the tenure, the kokushi received income through tax collection, and later received financial privileges that central government officials did not receive. As

3876-595: The history, archaeology, and folk culture of Japan. The Chiba prefectural museums consist of a main museum, the Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba in the central Chuō-ku ward of Chiba City, and six branch museums throughout the prefecture. The Chiba Prefectural Museum of Art is in Chiba City. The Chiba Prefectural Boso-no-mura in Sakae focuses on the local culture of the late Edo period, and

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3952-530: The imperial court and was instrumental in the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate . Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873, with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture . The militarization of Chiba Prefecture dates to the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). Coastal fortifications were built along Tokyo Bay , as far south as Tateyama, to protect the capital of

4028-439: The introduction of modern municipalities (cities/towns/villages) in 1889, Chiba's districts were subdivided into 43 towns and 315 villages. The first city was created in 1921 when Chiba Town from Chiba District became district-independent as Chiba City. The postwar/1950s Great Shōwa mergers reduced the number of municipalities in Chiba to 101 by 1960, including 14 cities by then. The early 3rd millennium Great Heisei mergers created

4104-527: The largest group being in Futtsu along Tokyo Bay. In the Asuka period (538–710), under the Taika Reform of 645, the administrative structure of present-day Chiba Prefecture changed significantly. The historical province of Fusa Province , which may have covered much of Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures, was divided into two provinces: Shimōsa Province (also called Shimofusa) in the north and Kazusa Province in

4180-431: The late Heian period . The branch of the Taira adopted the name and became the Chiba clan , which held strong influence over the area of the prefecture until the Azuchi–Momoyama period . The name "Chiba" was chosen for Chiba Prefecture at the time of its creation in 1873 by the Assembly of Prefectural Governors ( 地方官会議 , Chihō Kankai Kaigi ) , an early Meiji-period body of prefectural governors that met to decide

4256-413: The north of the prefecture, and the significant increase of agriculture after land reforms across the prefecture. The Keiyō Industrial Zone brought together smaller, industrial areas along the entirety of the western coast of Chiba Prefecture, and the industrial zone became (and remains) an important center of heavy industrial production and large-scale port facilities in Japan. Cities to the northeast of

4332-464: The other being Hiratsuka via Sagami Bay . The U.S. First Army would enter at Kujūkuri, sweep across the Boso Peninsula, and meet the U.S. Eighth Army at Tokyo. The plan was not carried out since Japan surrendered after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . During the Occupation of Japan (1945–1952) Chiba Prefecture was controlled by American forces from the second floor of

4408-452: The prefectural capitol building in the city of Chiba. Numerous other cities in the prefecture, including Chōshi to the north and Tateyama to the south, were used as bases of the occupation; rich agricultural areas across the prefecture somewhat safeguarded the region's population from potential food shortages, and starvation, immediately following the war. The immediate post-war period was characterized by carefully planned industrial expansion in

4484-419: The prefectural government. With the opening of the Sobu Main Line , Chiba developed rapidly, becoming the political, economic, and cultural capital of Chiba Prefecture. The town of Chiba was established within Chiba District with the creation of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Chiba City formed on January 1, 1921. Numerous small villages and towns were merged into the previous town of Chiba ( 千葉町 ) ,

4560-425: The prefecture (in close proximity to Tokyo) were connected by rail to the capitol, and became and remain bedroom communities to Tokyo. Narita International Airport began operation in 1978 in Narita , after much protest to replace the overcrowded Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport). The majority of international air traffic enters Japan via Chiba Prefecture. The cultivation of rice and vegetables to feed

4636-404: The prefecture. The Chiba Prefectural West Library is located in Matsudo next to the Matsudo Museum , and houses a research collection focused on natural history and the fine arts. The Chiba Prefectural East Library is located in Asahi, and houses a research collection focused on the literature and history of the prefecture. The Chiba Prefectural Archives are located across the Miyako River from

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4712-413: The prefecture; tomatoes ; and spinach It is the nation's second largest producer of corn . Rice is also grown, and seaweed , specifically nori , is harvested in large quantities from Tokyo Bay. Chiba's population is one of the wealthiest in Japan due to the prefecture's strong commercial and industrial sectors. Per capita GDP is ¥3.1 million, the fifth-highest in the country. 70% of the population

4788-400: The province, while the kokushi returned to the capital to take on a supervising role. The oldest reference to the term kokushi appears on the Seventeen-article constitution from 604. As part of the Taika Reform in 645, a new system of provincial government was established, marking the beginning of the kokushi . Before this, the governors were called mikotomochi (宰 or 使者). This term

4864-612: The rest of Japan. Chiba Prefecture produces prolific quantities of rice across all areas in the prefecture, vegetables in the northern area of the prefecture, and fish, seafood, and shellfish along the coastal areas of the prefecture. Chōshi has been a major center of worldwide soy sauce production since the Edo period , and the prefecture remains the top producer in Japan. Kikkoman is headquartered in Noda in northwestern Chiba Prefecture. These are all important components of Japanese cuisine . Certain local products, however, are grown in abundance and have resulted in several dishes unique to

4940-411: The same period the prefectural government embarked on a large-scale land reclamation program to dredge large plots of waterfront property. The large-scale construction of factories , warehouses , and docks on this reclaimed land around the Tokyo Bay area ultimately formed the Keiyō Industrial Zone . Chiba Prefecture is now 6th in Japan in industrial output with the bulk of the industry focused on

5016-405: The same position in Chiba District two years later. Here he proclaimed himself Chiba Tsuneshige ( 千葉常重 ) , became a kokushi governor of the province, and used the area around present-day Chiba City as a power base to rule over Shimōsa Province, Kazusa Province , as well as establish himself as a military force in the Kantō region . Tsuneshige's son, Chiba Tsunetane ( 千葉常胤 ) (1118–1201)

5092-406: The southern area. Awa Province at the south of Chiba Prefecture, was separated from Kazusa Prefecture in 718. These administrative units existed until they were abolished and merged into Chiba Prefecture after the Meiji Restoration . The central government established a kokubunji provincial temple in each province. The imperial court gradually extended its authority over the three provinces in

5168-435: The standing red panda Futa . The name of Chiba in the Japanese language is formed from two kanji characters. The first, 千 , means " thousand " and the second, 葉 means "leaves". The name first appears as an ancient kuni no miyatsuko , or regional command office, as Chiha no Kuni no Miyatsuko ( 千葉国造 ) . The name was adopted by a branch of the Taira clan , which moved to the area in present-day Chiba City in

5244-404: The structure of local and regional administration in Japan. The first records related to the city of Chiba record the emigration of Taira Tsuneshige (1083?–1088), a powerful bushi warlord of the late Heian period, to Shimōsa Province , which historically occupied the north of Chiba Prefecture. Tsuneshige was appointed as gunji administrator of Sōma District , but was transferred to

5320-407: The structure of local and regional administration in Japan. The compound word Keiyō ( 京葉 ) , which refers to the Tokyo-Chiba region, is formed from the second character in Tokyo ( 京 ), and the second character in Chiba ( 葉 ), which can also be pronounced "kei" and "yō" respectively. This compound is used in terms such as the Keiyō Line , Keiyō Road , Keiyō Rinkai Railway Rinkai Main Line , and

5396-478: The total population. It is the 13th most populous city in Japan as of 2022. Chiba was governed by Keiichi Tsuruoka , an independent (elected with support of LDP and Kōmeitō ), until May 1, 2009. He was arrested in April 2009 during a corruption investigation by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. He was succeeded by Toshihito Kumagai of the DPJ , who won election in June 2009. The city assembly has 54 elected members. Chiba has six wards ( ku ): Chiba has

5472-672: The triple disaster, an oil refinery fire broke out at the Cosmo Oil Chiba Refinery, in Ichihara , and was widely covered in the news media. Also, a large liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanks burned at 10 days earlier. Soil liquefaction , in areas of reclaimed land across the northern and western areas of Chiba Prefecture, caused damage to housing. Chiba City , Funabashi , Narashino , and especially Urayasu were greatly affected by triple disaster (such as soil liquefaction, and evidence of radioactive materials caused by

5548-539: The unified local election cycle of 1947 (last round 2011 ). As of July 2014, it is composed as follows: LDP 52 members, DPJ 13, Kōmeitō 7, JCP 4, Shimin Net/ SDP /Independents 4, Your Party 3, four other caucuses with 5 members in total. In the National Diet , Chiba is represented by 13 members from single-member districts in the House of Representatives , and six members (three at-large per election) in

5624-479: Was drifting increasingly farther away from the central government in Kyoto. After the Heian period , the highest official, kami , became also known as zuryō ( 受領 ). The term originally meant the change of office to a newly assigned kokushi . In the Kamakura period , following the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate , the samurai formed their own provincial government, the shugo who were appointed by

5700-418: Was instrumental in aiding Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199) with the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate . Tsuneshige built a spacious residence and numerous temples in present-day Chiba City, and in the same period he transferred his power base from Ōji Castle to a mansion in present-day Chiba City. The area of present-day Chiba City became jōkamachi ( 城下町 ) , or castle town , and prospered under

5776-410: Was replaced with the kanji characters 国 (province) and 司 (governor), and thus became known as kokushi . The kokushi were divided into four classes (四等官, sitōkan ), from the highest to the lowest: Kami (守), Suke (介), Jō (掾), and Sakan (目). Japan was divided into 66 provinces and two islands, and the number of kokushi officials and classes appointed to each province depended on which of

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